Enhancing Pediatric Care Using Informatics

Posted: March 27th, 2020

Enhancing Pediatric Care Using Informatics

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Enhancing Pediatric Care Using Informatics

The maintenance of pediatric care is an imperative subject due to the vulnerabilities that affect its core population. Children require health care demands that are unique from those needed by adults. In fact, the traits of this populace, as well as the framework that offers the respective services to them, warrant exclusive consideration as far as the development and provision of treatment and management solutions is concerned. The rationale for selecting the topic was based on the extent to which pediatric care is affected by the same issues that generally affect universal health services. The observation of inherent dimensions such as quality, coordination, and efficiency tends to be standardized despite the susceptible nature of children to problems such as hospital-acquired infections and medication errors. In this respect, the application of informatics acts as a plausible solution for enhancing the mentioned elements. By implementing the technological innovations that currently comprise normal healthcare facilities, it is possible to improve the services provided to the group in question and attain optimal patient outcomes in the long-term. Nonetheless, attention should also be inclined towards the negative implications that may affect the delivery of effective pediatric care, particularly due to concerns centered on resistance to organizational change.

The rationale for choosing the subject revolves around the risks that expose young patients to effects derived from low-quality health practices. Children usually depend on their guardians, relatives, and attendants for proper medical care (Goodman, 2009). However, aspects such as the context of care, the identification of suitable treatment processes, and verifying when to seek the services in question affect challenges that encompass the deployment of the objective. Such difficulties necessitate the implementation of applicable strategies that can ensure quality delivery of pediatric care and the overall fulfillment of the population’s needs. The discourse advocates for the application of informatics across the associated healthcare facilities. The position is attributed to evidence that shows the correlation between patient outcomes and the incorporation of information technology (IT) solutions. Further, advances in the healthcare sector can potentially support effective pediatric care by reducing consequences, which usually recur in standard healthcare settings (Snyder et al., 2011). The implementation of these systems may prove instrumental in enhancing the services that are offered to children by reducing their vulnerabilities towards issues such as hospital-acquired infections and medication errors, which tend to persist in standardized care environments.

Propositioning for the incorporation of technological tactics is established by their capacity to enhance a wide array of fields that pertain to pediatric care. According to Webber (2016), technological tactics can be implemented to imperative fields such as delivered care and the context. The comprehensiveness of these applications establishes the positive implications that they may impose in nursing practice. One area that acknowledges this argument involves the determination of the proper context for treatment and management. As stated, one of the challenges that caregivers encounter when faced with health predicaments that affect their children involves the identification of the best possible environment. The uncertainty that parents and guardians experience in such circumstances regularly force them to admit the affected individual for the sake of averting any crisis in the event that the child possesses an undetected ailment. Using evidence-based directives that guide ambulatory care, the patient can receive the proper medical attention by incorporating conventional treatment practices with tests, such as computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) scans. The solutions may prove effective in assessing the actual issues affecting the patient, hence, reducing uncertainty among caregivers as well as errors resulting from incorrect diagnoses.

Another positive effect associated with the use of informatics solutions in pediatric care is the reduction of variation in clinical care and the enhancement of quality. While deviations may be present within standardized care, evidence shows that considerable abnormalities tend to be present among children. Such aberrations frequently result from the disparities that underlie aspects utilized in the categorization of patients. Furthermore, the extensive nature of these incongruities restricts pediatric care facilities from attaining the proper levels of quality as far as the provision of services such as immunization is concerned (Goodman, 2009). Despite these constraints, the deployment of technological strategies can affect the practice positively by expanding knowledge on the significance of informatics in standardization. For instance, patient registries via shared networks can assist in the amassment of data for infants, children, and adolescents, and for endeavors aimed at improving the quality of the services offered. For patients with preferential treatments, these frameworks can provide data and incorporate the participation of guardians and family members to inform decisions that maximize therapy for patients (Goodman, 2009). As a result, the organization will be able to provide improved care to its patients regardless of the implications derived from variations.

Even though the deployment of informatics solutions has its benefits, it is also imperative to consider the negative aspects that may result from these actions. Improving the quality of pediatric care involves altering the current organizational context. However, change tends to create challenges that prevent the facility from implementing novel alternatives. These disputes are often attributed to the notion of the corporate culture. Accordingly, the organizational culture signifies the mores of behavior and the joint beliefs present within an organization (Webber, 2016). Typically, these elements influence the attitudes, practices, and actions that employees and other faculty members apply. Inculcating new technologies in an organization disrupts the settings occupied by the stakeholders, thus, resulting in resistance. In fact, the observed status quo encourages employees and staff members to oppose any changes to preserve the familiarity of the environment. In this respect, pediatric care facilities will be restricted from satisfying the patients’ needs, especially if the alterations threaten to modify the entire organization. Such implications necessitate more understanding of the processes that can be used to limit the effects of change on the healthcare organization.

The effects of informatics on pediatric care hold specific implications for nursing practice. Firstly, it will be possible to determine the appropriate care setting that a patient requires due to the benefits gained from implementing technological solutions and observing practice guidelines regarding care services. Secondly, the advocacy for the respective strategies will be rationalized and implemented due to the occurrences of unwarranted variations as far as provided care is concerned. However, the subject in question will necessitate further learning and understanding of the mechanics that inform organizational behavior. As far as recommendations are concerned, the focus will shift towards increased studying of the issues that affect most practices about the application of informatics and the quality of patient care. The attainment of practical experience in organizations that endorse the implementation of these solutions will also be imperative in future for the aim of understanding the degree to which informatics influence decision-making in different areas of care.

References

Goodman, D. C. (2009). Unwarranted variation in medical care. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 56(4), 745-755.

Snyder, C. F., Wu, A. W., Miller, R. S., Jensen, R. E., Bantug, E. T., & Wolff, A. C. (2011). The role of informatics in promoting patient-centered care. Cancer Journal, 17(4), 211-218.

Webber, E. C. (2016). Population health and pediatric informatics. Pediatrics Clinics of North America, 63(2), 221-237