INFORMATICS AND FACULTY INTRAPROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT AND GAP ANALYSIS OF CURRENT INTEGRATION OF INFORMATICS COMPETENCIES IN A BACCALAUREATE NURSING PROGRAM

Abstract Background: In its effort to improve patient safety and quality in the U.S. healthcare system, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) called for the integration of health information technology and informatics in the education of healthcare professionals, especially nurses (IOM, 2001, 2003, 2012; National League for Nursing, 2008). Despite this recommendation, the integration of clinical informatics in nursing education has been slow and inconsistent, leaving gaps in the knowledge and skills that future nurses need to use clinical informatics competencies effectively in a variety of healthcare settings. Purpose: This quality improvement project had three aims: (1) to assess the current state of informatics competency integration in the baccalaureate program; (2) to identify gaps in teaching informatics competencies in the curriculum; and (3) to present the gap analysis and clinical informatics coverage gap/needs assessment related to informatics competencies of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), and Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER). Method: A nursing informatics competency checklist worksheet was created based on the competencies outlined by the AACN, QSEN, and TIGER. This worksheet was completed by faculty and an informatician to assess the current state of integration of informatics competencies in the curriculum. Gaps between the two assessments were analyzed. Results: The informatician survey showed coverage of 94% of the competencies, while the faculty member survey showed coverage of 82%. There were three major findings: (1) coverage of informatics competencies related to basic computer literacy, clinical information literacy, and health information literacy was adequate; (2) competencies associated with the history and evolution of nursing informatics were underdeveloped in the curriculum; and (3) there were inadequate opportunities to develop and have students apply informatics competencies explicitly in most of the courses. Conclusions: Based on evidence, the nursing informatics competency checklist can be used as a guide in assessing and evaluating current undergraduate curricula and determining how nursing informatics competencies are integrated in nursing programs. The gap analysis helped faculty highlight areas of strength and identified deficiencies in informatics competency development within the program. The project lays the foundation for further work on applied assignments in the baccalaureate program. Additionally, a next phase of a curricular quality improvement project can include developing and integrating a comparable set of informatics competencies in other prelicensure nursing undergraduate, such as the associate degree program, RN to BSN completion and graduate programs. Results suggest that further education is required in the field of teaching informatics through additional training workshops and continuing education opportunities for faculty

An Empirical Investigation on the Benefits and Leakages in the Use of Web-Based Technologies in the Construction Industry

The internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) has the capacity to link the construction industry and its stakeholders to the desired smart and seamless future, although there are several leakages that have engendered the slow and low adoption in the construction process. Therefore, the study examined the benefits and leakages in the use of web-based technologies in the construction industry. The research selected registered construction professionals through a simple random sampling method from Lagos and Abuja (FCT). A total of 1,160 construction professionals participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was used as the principal instrument for obtaining primary data in form of responses from the construction professionals. Using a system block diagram, the study designed a web-based system using MySQL connected to the HTML web-interface through a PHP script processing the data back and forth. The study revealed that the use of web-based technologies in the construction industry can be engender efficient recording benefits, optimized production benefits and effective information processing. However, there are leakages such as usage risk leakages, culture leakages and tools leakages that may hinder the integration of web-based technologies in the construction processes. The study developed a framework for a web-based material planning and control system that can be used in the building materials’ planning and control processes that ensures that building materials information are archived, stock levels are identified and material delay is minimized. The study recommended the use of web-based technologies in several of the construction processes by harnessing its benefits. Efforts should be made to increase ICT training and education amongst construction professionals to intensify the proficiency of stakeholders in the use of web-based technologies in the construction industr

Internal Versus External for Small Weapons Systems

The acquisition method used to gain access to new technologies can heavily influence whether our war fighters have the required tools to fight increasing and constantly shifting global threats (Kessler and others, 2000). The purpose of this study was to investigate the process and results of internal laboratory development, testing and fielding of small weapons systems as compared to traditionally acquired systems which encourage customer pull and contractor development. This research provides insight into how Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) personnel choose an acquisition method, retain personnel capability, and maximize product capability. This study consolidates the opinions of subject matter experts and program managers through a wide range of interviewees within AFRL. Data analysis and extensive literature review led to conclusions such as: it is believed that there is no difference in war fighter capability and delivery between internally and externally developed systems; and internal efforts provide better personnel capability, but the current status quo is sufficient. It was also revealed that a majority of AFRL personnel feel pressure to always develop externally. Recommendations include that: AFRL foster an environment where the best acquisition method for the government is chosen; AFRL design an internal contract plan to keep internal efforts on target; and AFRL invest in further concurrent development efforts

ESSAYS ON COLLABORATION BETWEEN LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND NON-PROFIT HOSPITALS AS A PATH TO IMPROVE POPULATION HEALTH

Collaboration between local health departments (LHDs) and nonprofit hospitals around community health needs assessment (CHNA) is recognized as a key strategy to improve U.S. population health. This dissertation presents three studies on collaboration between LHDs and nonprofit hospitals around CHNA. The specific aims were to 1) examine whether collaboration between LHDs and nonprofit hospitals around CHNA is associated with community health outcomes, 2) examine the dimensions of collaboration between LHDs and nonprofit hospitals around CHNA that are associated with community health outcomes, and 3) explore the perceptions of facilitators and barriers to effective collaboration, between LHDs and hospitals. Data came from multiple datasets including the 2016 National Profile of Local Health Departments and 2018 County Health Rankings data merged together using the five-digit Federal Information Processing Standards county code. The third study utilized a qualitative method and semi-structured interviews were collected from LHD and hospital leaders across the U.S. In the first study, linear mixed regression models were used to examine the associations between LHD-Hospital collaboration around CHNA, levels of LHD-Hospital collaboration and five community health outcomes. Results showed that communities with high levels of LHD-Hospital collaboration around CHNA had significantly better health outcomes compared to communities with low levels of LHD-Hospital collaboration around CHNA. In the second study, principal axis factor extraction with varimax rotation was conducted to identify the dimensions of collaboration between LHDs and nonprofit hospitals around CHNA. Linear mixed regression models examined the relationship between dimensions of collaboration around CHNA and self-reported fair or poor health and premature death. Findings suggest that dimensions of collaboration around CHNA could improve community health outcomes In the third study, 10 major themes were identified including 5 facilitators and 5 barriers to effective collaboration. Additionally, participants from higher performing communities described engaging in several collaborative projects and having a strong referral system. In conclusion, this dissertation sought to examine how and whether collaboration between LHDs and nonprofit hospitals around CHNA is associated with community health outcomes. The findings from this dissertation will be of interest to practitioners, researchers, and policymakers seeking to address how to improve the U.S. population health

Understanding the achievement of benefits through use of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems in public sector organisations

Public sector organisations are implementing the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system because of their large volume of unstructured content which led to documents being stored in various repositories. This made it difficult for such organisations to access, control and locate documents. ECM systems are therefore implemented to address the uncontrolled manner in which documents are saved, stored and accessed by employees. There were a number of other anticipated benefits. This study aims to explore and understand the achievement of benefits through the use of ECM systems and to determine the barriers preventing the benefits from being achieved in public sector organisations. The study used a qualitative research approach. Two cases of the public sector organisations were investigated in a cross-sectional study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and by viewing organisational documentation. Data was analysed using thematic analysis with elements of deductive and inductive approaches. An ERP benefits framework and the Enhanced Impact framework formed a theoretical base and were used as a lens for collecting and analysing data

Design and using novel smart and technological strategies as part of E-Pharmacy digitalization

Conventional systems have been utilized to automate the rising prevalence of contemporary technologies. These systems encompass services provided to both corporations and individuals, including healthcare. Pharmacy data management systems that are conventional in nature encounter various obstacles such as limited capacity, time constraints, inventory management issues, restricted drug accessibility, and the requirement of proficient personnel to fulfill employer demands. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the main pharmacy implemented technological strategies that can be to improve healthcare