Author: chris

Advocacy is a professional responsibility for nurses. The third provision in the Code of Ethics for Nurses states that “The nurse promotes, advocates for and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient.” In addition, professional nursing associations also advocate for patients and the nursing profession.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Consider how a nurse can be an advocate and how professional organizations help promote change.

Examine the Web site of a nursing association (the Emergency Nurses Association, for example) and explore its advocacy efforts. (Make sure to note the association and its Web site in APA format in your posting.) Then, review your resources from this week and address the following:

1. How are nurses and professional nursing associations advocate for patients, the public, the profession, or improvements in health care?
2. Include how the role of advocate addresses social justice and how the role may change in the future.
3. What strategies can be used by both nurses and professional associations to continue the push for change in health care?
4. Support your ideas or those of others with references from the professional nursing literature.

   References:

• Course Text: Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2014).Policy and politics in nursing and health care (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.

 

o    Chapter 3, “Learning the Ropes of Policy, Politics, and Advocacy”

This chapter examines the role of mentoring, education, and experience in learning how to hone political skills in the nursing profession.

o

o    Chapter 10, “Using the Power of Media to Influence Health Policy and Politics”

Chapter 10 discusses the power of media in shaping health policy. It also provides guidelines on how to analyze factual unbiased information from the media.

o

o    Chapter 68, “Lobbying Policymakers: Individual and Collective Strategies”

Chapter 68 examines and provides strategies used to sway policy makers. It also discusses the effectiveness of collective efforts when lobbying for political change.

 

Austin Industries 15-year, $1,000 par value bonds pay 8 percent interest annually. The market price of the bonds is $1,085, and your required rate of return is 10  percent. Compute the bond’s expected rate of return.

Influencing Health Policy

Nurses can play a pivotal role in spearheading and influencing health care policy. Karen Daley’s personal story, presented in this week’s media program, is a poignant example of this. In addition, special interest groups and professional nursing organizations support nurses at the local, state, national, and international levels to improve health care delivery through influencing health care policy. To prepare for this Discussion, reflect on your readings and the video presentation from this week’s resources. Then address the following:

1. Identify a health policy problem in your local community or state.
2. How could nurses use policy and politics to address the problem?
3. Review the Learning Resources and note successful strategies used by nurses or nurse associations to influence policy making.
4. What strategies could support you in championing this issue?

 

References:

• Course Text: Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2014).Policy and politics in nursing and health care (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.

o    Chapter 40, “Research as a Political and Policy Tool”

The use of research in creating health care policy and swaying political views is discussed in this chapter.

o

o    Chapter 77, “Taking Action: Nurse, Educator, and Legislator: My Journey to the Delaware General Assembly”

The first registered nurse elected into the Delaware General Assembly discusses her life as a volunteer and nurse-legislator, and describes the policy issues she has supported as a nurse-legislator.

o

o    Chapter 81, “Interest Groups in Health Care Policy and Politics”

Chapter 81 traces the history and development of interest groups. It then discusses how interest groups function within the political system, and describes the contemporary terrain of health care interest groups.

o    Chapter 91, “Where Policy Hits the Pavement: Contemporary Issues in Communities”

Chapter 91 examines the impact that public policy has in communities. It identifies different actions for improving community health and the determinants of healthy communities.

o    Chapter 98, “Taking Action: The Nightingales Take on Big Tobacco”

This chapter recounts the struggle of the Nightingales’s first attempt to push the negative effects of smoking and discusses actions nurses can take in the fight against the tobacco epidemic.

Impact of Nursing Informatics on Practice

In today’s technology-driven, fast-paced world, health care professionals are faced daily with increasing amounts of information, technology, and data that require a wide-range of skills. In an effort to cope with these increasing demands, information management technologies are being employed to improve access to a larger volume of information and to enhance the flow of information. These technologies have changed the way nurses receive, send, and apply information on medications, procedures, medical knowledge, patient data, and interventions.

For this Discussion, review the Learning Resources presented this week and consider your nursing career.

• Have you seen any events, actions, or other phenomena you would classify as nursing informatics?
• If you have not experienced a nursing informatics phenomenon, imagine such an experience and, then, answer the following questions: 

 

1. Briefly describe one of these phenomena.

2. Would you say that the impact of this nursing informatics phenomenon has been mostly positive or mostly negative on practicing nurses, health consumers, or the nursing profession (select one group)? Why?

   Be sure to include citations from your primary source articles in your Discussion, and provide the APA reference at the bottom of your response. Support your ideas or those of others with references from the professional nursing literature.

References:

• Course Text: Hebda, T., & Czar, P. (2013).Handbook of informatics for nurses and healthcare professionals (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

o    Chapter 1, “Informatics in the Healthcare Professions”

This chapter provides background and introductory information on informatics in nursing. It also discusses informatics competencies and factors that impact patient safety.

• Course Text: American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.

o    “Introduction” and ” Metastructures, Concepts, and Tools of Nursing Informatics” (pp. 1–18)

o     

Nursing informatics is introduced and the key foundational components are discussed in these two sections of this book. The phenomenon of nurses as knowledge managers is also examined.

 

For this Application Assignment, write a 3- to 4-page paper on the concept of nurses as knowledge workers using the following guidelines and evaluation criteria. Use the headings below for each section. Use a minimum of 5 references from the professional nursing literature in the assigned course readings and other references. If they are relevant, you may use one or two professional web sites in addition to the literature references.

Very Important instructions for assignment

1. Begin this paper with a brief paragraph that provides an overview of the assignment and its purpose.
2. There is no separate heading for this paragraph; the heading for this paragraph is the same as the title of the paper. This paragraph will be about 2-3 sentences. The last sentence in this paragraph is a sentence that begins “The purpose of this paper is to ¨. This paragraph is worth 20 points.

 

These are the headings you should use

1. Work environment and managing knowledge – 40 points

 

Select one of the following nursing work environments:

• Clinical,
• Education,
• Administration or,
• Research.

Describe how nurses manage knowledge in the context of that work environment.  This section is one paragraph.

 

2. Managing change in workflow – 40 points

 

Consider how you have managed change in your work flow as a result of using some form of computer-based information technology. This section is 1-2 paragraphs.

 

3. Current use of information technology – 40 points

 

• Provide at least one example of an information technology you use today that you previously did not utilize (perhaps last year or in a previous employment).( A note from me: You could choose to discuss medication bar coding, automatic transfer of vital signs in patient computer chart, electronic medical record or whatever you choose to discuss).
• Discuss at least two ways in which this information technology has impacted your practice of nursing. If you do not use any computer-based information technology in your practice, review the media presentation and readings for this week and select at least one type of computer-based information technology and
• discuss how you would use this technology, and how this technology could influence your work. This section is 1- 2 paragraphs.

 

4. Impact of information technology on the nursing profession – 40 points

 

• Provide an analysis of how information technology impacts the profession of nursing.This section is 1-2 paragraphs.

 

5. Summary – 20 points

 

6. End the paper with a one-paragraph summary of the main points of the paper.

Format/style

Proofread the paper as described in the tips for success in this course and correct any typos, grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, or APA format errors before submitting your paper in the Dropbox. Up to 40 points can be deducted from the grade for this assignment for these types of errors, or for not using at least the minimum number of required references.

References

• Course Text: Hebda, T., & Czar, P. (2013).Handbook of informatics for nurses and healthcare professionals (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

o    Chapter 1, “Informatics in the Healthcare Professions”

This chapter provides background and introductory information on informatics in nursing. It also discusses informatics competencies and factors that impact patient safety.

• Course Text: American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.

o    “Introduction” and ” Metastructures, Concepts, and Tools of Nursing Informatics” (pp. 1–18)

o     

Nursing informatics is introduced and the key foundational components are discussed in these two sections of this book. The phenomenon of nurses as knowledge managers is also examined

Austin’s Shooters, Inc. operates a paintball course where customers can come to play paintball games and stage organized matches with their friends. Their accountant, Denny Dinsdale, has produced an income statement (presented below) depicting their first year’s operating data in the contribution margin format. The news is not good, given the loss of $30,000. However, Denny explains that this is the reason that the presentation is in this format. That is, Austin Douglas, the owner and manager of Austin’s Shooters, Inc. can use the statement to determine what will happen next year given changes in volume.

Income Statement

For the Year Ended December 31, 2004

 

Revenue:

Admission fees (1,600 shooters)                                                   $  80,000

Supplies and Concessions                                                               $  24,000

Total Revenue ($65 per unit)                                                 $104,000

 

Variable Costs:

Cost of supplies & Concessions Sold                              $14,000

Electricity (purchased per KWH)                                    $30,000

Wages of Games Coordinators (DL)                              $40,000

Liability Insurance (based on # of customers)               $10,000

Total Variable Costs                                                               $  94,000

Contribution Margin                                                                               $  10,000

 

Fixed Costs:

Depreciation – Bldg & Fixtures                                       $12,000

Advertising                                                                      $  3,000

Heat and Light for Bldg.                                                 $  5,000

Property Taxes                                                                $20,000

Total Fixed Costs                                                                    $  40,000

 

Operating Income <Loss>                                                                       $<30,000>

 

 

After careful review, Austin tells Denny that the classifications are not all correct. Austin enumerates three issues as follows:

 

1. Electricity cost is only for lighting a rather large area of land for play at night and is always on after sunset regardless of how many shooters are on site.
2. Although the wages of games coordinators are hourly, they are required to be present during all working hours to help ensure the safety of the shooters. Number of workers is adequate for up to 4,000 customers annually.
3. Since the liability insurance amount is based on number of shooters it does vary with volume, but it only increases for increments of every additional 5,000 shooters. Volume is expected to increase to 2,500 shooters next year, but 5,000 shooters clearly exceed the relevant range of expected operations for the foreseeable future.

 

Denny has assured Austin that the information is accurate and that the expenses are properly classified.

 

Required 

[Note: Your answer should be no longer than two pages total.]

 

1. Assuming Denny is correct, what is the expected income for the upcoming year? Assuming Austin is correct, what is the expected income for the upcoming year? (Continue to next page…)
2. Denny suggests that Austin should either try to ramp up capacity and operations or shut down. This advice is based on the fact that it would take 6,400 shooters to break even under the current structure. Denny further argues that at 6,400 shooters, more workers would be needed and liability insurance would double. Currently his numbers don’t even include those increased costs. Austin claims he can break even at 2,134 shooters and at the projected level of 2,500 shooters make a decent profit. Which break even point and income/loss calculation is correct?
3. After entertaining Austin’s arguments, Denny claims that he was taught in managerial accounting that direct labor (DL) and electricity are always variable costs. This is because workers are paid hourly and electricity is purchased as used per month (i.e., per KWH). How would you support Denny’s view? How would you support Austin’s view? (Hint: You may also want to consider depreciation expense here.)
4. Do you believe this situation is more likely or less likely to occur in larger v. smaller companies? What role might decentralization play?

Information, Integration and Communication

As the use of informatics continues to increase in nursing practice, it is important for nurses to understand how to use these types of technologies to input and decipher data as well as successfully and accurately share information regarding patient care. Reflect on your own experience using information technology, and then address the following:

1. Would an integrated and/or interoperable computer-based information system improve the flow of critical information in your setting? Why?

 

2. How important is information literacy to your practice in communicating information to other nurses, units, offices, or departments? Why?

Support your ideas or those of others with references from the professional nursing literature.

References

• Course Text:Handbook of Informatics for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals

o    Chapter 1, “Informatics in the Healthcare Professions”

o

• “Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom” (pp. 2–4)
• “Computer and Information Literacy” (pp. 8–1 0)
• “Informatics Competencies for Nurses” (pp. 10–1 3)

Review these sections of Chapter 1 that define and explain key words used in nursing informatics. Data, information, knowledge, information technology, wisdom, and computer and information literacy are examined. In addition, core information competencies for nursing are discussed.

 

o    Chapter 2, “Hardware, Software, and Roles of Support Personnel”

Chapter 2 discusses the basic hardware and software components of computers. It also provides information on the role of support personnel.

 

o    Chapter 13, “System Integration and Interoperability” (pp. 261–271)

This section of Chapter 13 discusses the integration of information systems for the purpose of exchanging data. It also examines the ability to exchange data and reliably use the data.

 

• Course Text: American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice(2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.

 

o    “The Future of Nursing Informatics” through “NI Future Trends: Summary” (pp. 52-66)

 

For this Application Assignment, write a 3- to 4-page paper addressing legal, regulatory, and ethical issues of information systems in nursing. Use the headings below for each section. Use a minimum of four references from the professional nursing literature in the assigned course readings and other references. If they are relevant, you may use one or two professional web sites in addition to the literature references.

• Begin this paper with a brief paragraph that provides an overview of the assignment and its purpose. There is no separate heading for this paragraph; the heading for this paragraph is the same as the title of the paper. This paragraph will be about 2-3 sentences. The last sentence in this paragraph is a sentence that begins “The purpose of this paper is to ¨. This paragraph is worth 20 points.

 

  ‘These are the headings you should use for each section’’

 

1. Importance of ethical, legal, and regulatory issues and information technology- 40 points

 

• Discuss at least two reasons for the importance of these areas in using information technology in nursing and health care. This section is 2 paragraphs.

 

2. Ethical issues and using information systems in nursing – 40 points

 

• Discuss at least two ethical issues related to adopting and using information systems in nursing. This section is 2 paragraphs.

 

3. Legislation and information systems – 40 points

 

• Describe the role of legislation in the regulation and adoption of information systems in nursing and health care. This section is 1-2 paragraphs.

 

4. Impact of specific legislation – 40 points

 

• Explain the impact and implications of HIPAA and the Veterans Benefits Health Care and Information Technology Act on patient-care practices.This section is 1- 2 paragraphs.

 

5. Summary – 20 points

 

• End the paper with a one-paragraph summary of the main points of the paper.

Format/style

Proofread the paper as described in the tips for success in this course and correct any typos, grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, or APA format errors before submitting your paper in the Dropbox. Up to 40 points can be deducted from the grade for this assignment for these types of errors, or for not using at least the minimum number of required references.

Required textbooks for references you can use either books

TEXTBOOK #1

• Course Text:Handbook of Informatics for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals

o    Chapter 12, “Information Security and Confidentiality”

This chapter examines the factors that impact information security when using information management systems. It also discusses different types of security mechanisms.

o    Chapter 19, “Legislation”

This chapter examines legislation affecting electronic healthcare information systems, including privacy legislation.

o    Chapter 20, “Regulatory and Reimbursement Issues”

 

o    Chapter 21, “Accreditation Issues for Information System Design and Use”

In these chapters, the regulation of health information technology is discussed, as well as the role of accreditation in health care.

TEXTBOOK #2

 

• Course Text:Lewenson, S. B., & Truglio-Londrigan, M. (2015). Decision-making in nursing: Thoughtful approaches for practice. (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

o    Chapter 3, “Right or Wrong: Policy, Legal and Ethical Issues and Decision-Making”

Legal and ethical factors constantly affect clinical nursing practice. This chapter provides a detailed case study that describes how legal and ethical dynamics impact nursing.

Loss of data, theft, and penetration of system safeguards are the main ways in which large scale electronic data can be compromised. With the increasing use of digital and electronic information technologies in health care, it is more important than ever to safe guard against these types of safety issues.

Reflect on your reading from this week, and then address the following:

• Describe at least one event where privacy or confidentiality or security of client data was violated.

• How do you know which type of violation occurred (privacy, confidentiality, security)? If a computer-based information system contributed to the violation, explain how.

• Name one information or data security issue that you see as the greatest obstacle to using electronic or computerized information technology in health care.

Support your ideas or those of others with references from the professional nursing literature.

Required textbooks

TEXTBOOK #1

• Course Text:Handbook of Informatics for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals

o    Chapter 12, “Information Security and Confidentiality”

This chapter examines the factors that impact information security when using information management systems. It also discusses different types of security mechanisms.

o    Chapter 19, “Legislation”

This chapter examines legislation affecting electronic healthcare information systems, including privacy legislation.

o    Chapter 20, “Regulatory and Reimbursement Issues”

 

o    Chapter 21, “Accreditation Issues for Information System Design and Use”

In these chapters, the regulation of health information technology is discussed, as well as the role of accreditation in health care.

TEXTBOOK #2

 

• Course Text:Lewenson, S. B., & Truglio-Londrigan, M. (2015). Decision-making in nursing: Thoughtful approaches for practice. (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

o    Chapter 3, “Right or Wrong: Policy, Legal and Ethical Issues and Decision-Making”

Legal and ethical factors constantly affect clinical nursing practice. This chapter provides a detailed case study that describes how legal and ethical dynamics impact nursing.

DQ 1

 

What have been the major marketing trends in the last decade?

 

What new marketing trends do you anticipate in the next 10 years?

 

 

DQ 2

 

UOP has been the darling of Wall Street during the last few years. They offer some of the highest profit margins of any company in America today. And UOP has had a fine record of growing both revenue and profits. They are, by far, the largest private university in the Country.

 

 

From a marketing standpoint what do you think UOP is doing well? What areas do you think can be improved?