NURS FPX 6109 Assessment 1 Vila Health: Educational Technology Needs Assessment
NURS FPX 6109 Assessment 1 Vila Health: Educational Technology Needs Assessment
Student Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX 6109 Integrating Technology into Nursing Education
Prof. Name
Date
Educational Technology Needs Assessment
This report aims to evaluate how St. Anthony Medical Center (SAMC) incorporates technology in nursing education. It will carefully analyze the implementation of technology by nurses in the education context, compare it to the desired state and suggest recommendations for addressing any gaps identified. The ultimate goal is to create an overview that can guide improvements in the use of technology for nursing practices at SAMC.
Description of Current Use of Educational Technology
At SAMC, educational technology plays a role in both the environment and ongoing professional development programs for nurses. One key aspect is the utilization of e-learning platforms. Through SAMCs Learning Management System (LMS) nurses have access to a range of courses covering various topics such as disease management, patient care protocols, and internal procedures. These interactive modules include quizzes and evaluations. Provide certificates upon completion, contributing significantly to the growth of the nursing staff (Mahdavi Ardestani et al., 2023). In the arena of hands-on training, SAMC harnesses high-fidelity simulation and virtual reality technologies. This approach, especially utilized in procedural training and emergency response drills, offers a safe environment for nurses to replicate real-life scenarios and improve their skills and competencies.
In the clinical context, the Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) plays a crucial role. The CDSS provides real-time guidance, assisting in the decision-making processes, and ensuring adherence to medical guidelines and best practices (Ahmed et al., 2023).There are some uncertainties that would have improved the evaluation. Firstly, there seems to be a variance in the usage of these technologies among the nursing staff, with comfort and tech-savviness playing significant roles. The lack of granular data on individual nurse engagement with these resources and its correlation with their clinical performance outcomes is a crucial missing piece for a more comprehensive description. Secondly, the critique of the CDSS for not being current, particularly during the recent opioid crisis, raises questions about the frequency and sources of system updates.
NURS FPX 6109 Assessment 1 Vila Health: Educational Technology Needs Assessment
Detailed information on the CDSS’s update process, including who is responsible, what research they rely upon, and how often updates occur, would provide a more definitive picture of its efficacy. Moreover, there are some assumptions underlying this analysis, which are access to same resources and individual comfort of using technology. It also assumes that the CDSS’s lack of current information directly impacts patient care, but without more specific usage data and outcomes, this relationship is not definitively established.
Comparison of Current and Desired State of Educational Technology
SWOT Analysis |
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NURS FPX 6109 Assessment 1 Vila Health: Educational Technology Needs Assessment
Based on the SWOT analysis, there are indeed changes needed in how nurses currently use the existing technology at SAMC (Ahmed et al., 2023); Mahdavi Ardestani et al., 2023). The inconsistent utilization of e-learning resources and simulation training among nurses should be addressed. There should be efforts to standardize the usage of these resources, possibly through a structured schedule or mandatory training sessions. Ensuring digital literacy across all nurses can also improve comfort and proficiency levels with the technology. As for the CDSS, it is not an issue of needing a new technological solution, but rather an update and regular maintenance of the existing system. The content of the CDSS needs to be current and reflect the most recent research and guidelines. This would enhance its utility as a support system for evidence-based clinical decisions.
These conclusions are based on the identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the SWOT analysis. The strengths of having a foundational educational technology are undeniable. However, the weaknesses and threats pose risks to patient care and the professional development of the nurses. By capitalizing on the opportunities identified, SAMC can significantly improve the integration and utilization of educational technology in nursing education, leading to enhanced clinical skills and patient outcomes.
Evaluation of Metrics for Current Educational Technology Use
The evaluation of the benefits of current educational technology at St. Anthony Medical Center (SAMC) is mainly based on the participation rates, completion rates, user satisfaction surveys, and performance in the assessments incorporated in the e-learning courses. The participation and completion rates provide insights into how frequently and thoroughly nurses are utilizing available educational technology resources. Yet, these data points alone do not present a holistic understanding of the technology’s effectiveness. User satisfaction surveys give qualitative feedback about how educational technologies are perceived by users. These surveys capture the user’s ease of use and perceived value of the technologies. Nonetheless, these responses are inherently subjective and could be swayed by personal preferences, technological proficiency, and varied expectations among the nursing staff.
For a more comprehensive analysis, it is recommended to incorporate additional metrics that measure the practical application of the learned knowledge in the clinical environment. Observing a decrease in errors or an enhancement in adherence to best practices after the training could indicate the actual impact of educational technology (Akinola & Telukdarie, 2023). Additionally, the use of machine learning tools and advanced analytics could enhance the quality, interpretation, and use of data by identifying patterns or correlations that might be overlooked in conventional analyses. These could provide more meaningful insights into the effectiveness of the educational technologies used at SAMC.
Alignment of Educational Technology with Organizational Mission
The strategic mission of St. Anthony Medical Center (SAMC) is to deliver high-quality patient care and outcomes, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement. The existing and new educational technology initiatives fundamentally align with this mission in multiple ways. Educational technology provides the nursing staff with continual learning opportunities, thereby directly contributing to SAMC’s mission of continuous improvement. The e-learning courses offer nurses the flexibility to learn at their own pace, promoting self-directed learning and continual professional development. These courses ensure that the nursing staff stays updated on the latest protocols, standards, and best practices, ultimately leading to improved patient care.
The Simulation Equipment enhances the nurses’ practical skills without risking patient safety. Nurses can practice complex procedures and emergency drills in a controlled and safe environment, increasing their confidence and proficiency. This hands-on practice directly enhances patient care, aligning with SAMC’s mission. The Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS), when kept updated, is a significant tool in aligning with the organization’s mission. The real-time guidance provided by the CDSS supports clinical decision-making, helping to ensure adherence to best practices and promoting improved patient outcomes (White et al., 2023).
Recommendations for Improving the Use of Educational Technology
The primary recommendation to improve nursing education at St. Anthony Medical Center (SAMC) revolves around the improvement of the Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS). It’s evident from the assessment that the CDSS is currently not up-to-date and doesn’t align with the latest evidence-based practices. Regular updates incorporating recent clinical guidelines and research findings would enhance clinical decision-making and facilitate rich learning experiences for nurses. The unequal access to and utilization of e-learning resources present another critical area for improvement. By developing strategies such as digital literacy training, and implementing a structured schedule for completing these courses, all nurses can be ensured equal access to professional development opportunities (Akinola & Telukdarie, 2023).
Additionally, the regular use of simulation equipment should be promoted. Given its proven effectiveness in honing nurses’ procedural skills and emergency response, its integration into routine training schedules is necessary to ensure all nurses get equal hands-on experience. Lastly, the use of data analytics to monitor the usage and outcomes of educational technology should be implemented. This would involve tracking completion rates of e-learning courses, improvements in clinical skills post-simulation training, and the effectiveness of the CDSS (Volkow & Blanco, 2023). Regular feedback from the nursing staff, perhaps through surveys, would serve as a crucial tool to identify areas for improvement and to understand the real impact of these technologies on their learning and professional development (Ahmed et al., 2023).
References
Ahmed, U., Iqbal, K., & Aoun, M. (2023). Natural language processing for clinical decision support systems: A review of recent advances in healthcare. Journal of Intelligent Connectivity and Emerging Technologies, 8(2), 1–16. https://questsquare.org/index.php/JOUNALICET/article/view/2
Akinola, S., & Telukdarie, A. (2023). Sustainable digital transformation in healthcare: Advancing a digital vascular health innovation solution. Sustainability, 15(13), 10417. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310417
Mahdavi Ardestani, S. F., Adibi, S., Golshan, A., & Sadeghian, P. (2023). Factors influencing the effectiveness of e-learning in healthcare: A fuzzy ANP study. Healthcare, 11(14), 2035. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11142035
Volkow, N. D., & Blanco, C. (2023). Fentanyl and other opioid use disorders: Treatment and research needs. American Journal of Psychiatry, 180(6), 410–417. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20230273
White, N., Carter, H. E., Sanjeewa Kularatna, Borg, D. N., Brain, D. C., Tariq, A., Abell, B., Blythe, R., & McPhail, S. M. (2023). Evaluating the costs and consequences of computerized clinical decision support systems in hospitals: A scoping review and recommendations for future practice. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 30(6), 1205–1218. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocad040