Hospital Administration

After reading the study performed by McKnight, Stetson, Bakken, Curran, & Cimino (2002), you quickly begin to get a feel for some of the challenges that are facing facilities as they begin to move toward the more technology savvy programs out there that are to relieve a lot of stress on providers as well as staff. After reading the study you realize that it is not an exact science when it comes to information's systems associated with a healthcare organization. You realize that a lot of the kinks and the problems are still being worked out especially back then in 2002. Technology itself has come a long way in a very short time and continues to grown on a daily basis and everyday something new is found and implemented throughout a healthcare organization. Throughout the next couple of paragraphs I will try to explain the following as it relates to the study that was performed.

1. In what ways are the information needs of physicians and nurses at Presbyterian Hospital similar? In what ways are they different?

2. From the study, select three to four specific information needs and identify key data inputs, processes and outputs necessary for the information to be accurate and useful.

3. For each of the information needs selected above, describe what systems and methods of communication you believe would be best for sharing and communicating the information and knowledge. Explain why.

There are many ways the information needs of the physicians and nurses of the hospital where similar because they were all patient based. Even though the physician needed may have needed a current list of medications and the nurse may have only needed the diagnosis set, ultimately it was patient based and should have easily been found in some type of systems that has easy access unless they got the information straight from the patient themselves which can always present a problem. The difference where simply the information in which was needed when it came to patient specific data, and is very easily put the physician needed information in order to treat and diagnose, and the nurse needs information in order to follow out the physician's orders. Even thought all information is still patient specific the difference is where the two are trying to end by day's end. The information needed by the nurse may have to be a little more in depth because they are looking at a total picture where as a physician is looking at the problem, signs and symptoms and trying to diagnose. The nurse's job begins shortly after the physician has used the information he needs in order to render a diagnosis.

When it comes to specific information needs I have chosen the following, from the physician's point of view they had breakdown in such areas as current list of patient medications, patient problems and in and outpatient consults that were up to date from other doctors or hospitals. When it comes to patient information the key data inputs are normally the patient themselves unless there is some database that keeps tracks of the patient information. Nowadays you have a system in place in which you can instantly bring up a patient most current list of medications and normally be reconciled by the doctor patient or nurse. Back in 2002 in may have been a little harder to keep track of something like that but as time has grown so has the technology age and lot of things are now instantly at your fingertips. Some of the other problems being patient problem list or diagnosis and even in and outpatient correspondence when it comes to consults from other facilities as well as other doctors. I can only imagine dealing with this issue eight years ago because it still has to be dealt with today. A lot of facilities are not linked to one another so unless you have a working copy of a your medical record with you at every appointment, the doctors normally have to go off what the patient tells them and even then communication becomes a problem because I will be the first to say I don't remember everything when it comes to my healthcare. All the information that is needed as input