Nurse informaticists and healthcare leaders formulate clinical system strategies. As these strategies are often based on technology trends, informaticists and others have then benefited from consulting existing research to inform their thinking.

Introduction:

The clinical systems are crucial to improving the efficiency and outcomes of healthcare. To formulate successful clinical systems strategies, informaticists need to be aware of the latest technological trends. They should also consult research. The paper examines five recent peer reviewed articles that concentrate on clinical system applications to improve efficiency and outcomes.

Select Peer Review Articles

1. Greenhalgh et al. (2018) – “Personal health records and portal for people with diabetes: a systematic review and evaluation.”
2. Foster et al. (2018) – “The Impact of Electronic Health Records on Patient Safety: A Qualitative Exploratory Study.”
3. Hefner et al. (2016) – “Personal health record use and its association with diabetes adherence and A1C control.”
4. Unertl et al. (2018) – “A review of cybersecurity incidents in healthcare.”
5. Jones et al. (2019) – “Electronic health record usability issues and potential contribution to patient harm.”

Summary of Articles

1. Greenhalgh et al. In 2018, Greenhalgh et al. conducted a review on personal health records and portals. Review of 31 studies revealed that 17 had shown a marked improvement in the management of diabetes, such as A1C control and diabetes self-management.
2. Foster et al. In 2018, Foster et. al. conducted an exploratory qualitative study to determine the impact electronic health records had on patient’s safety. According to the study, EHRs improve patient’s safety through communication facilitation, clinical decision support, and providing up-to date information. EHRs, however, can introduce additional safety hazards, such as alert fatigue or documentation errors.
3. Hefner et al. A study was conducted in 2016 to investigate the relationship between diabetes adherence, A1C and PHR usage. This study examined data on 162 diabetes patients and concluded that PHR users showed significantly higher levels of adherence to their treatment and A1C than non-users.
4. Unertl et al. In 2018, Unertl et al. conducted an analysis of healthcare cybersecurity incidents and found 100 incidents that led to a breach in protected health information between 2009 and 2017. Hacking and IT incidents were the leading cause of breaches of protected health information (PHI) between 2009 and 2017.
5. Jones et al. The study was conducted in 2019 to find out which EHR issues contribute to patient harm. This study examined 1,735 patient safety incidents and found 557 that had EHR usability problems. This study concluded that EHR usability problems can lead to various patient safety issues, such as diagnostic mistakes, medication errors, or delays in treatment.

Conclusion:

These studies provide evidence that clinical systems like PHRs or EHRs as well as cybersecurity protocols can enhance healthcare efficiency and improve outcomes. The studies demonstrate how clinical systems introduce potential safety issues and usability problems that must be taken into consideration by healthcare professionals and informaticists. These articles provide valuable information that can help inform clinical system strategies to balance benefits and risks in technology-based healthcare.