Abstract
The article comments on the presentation of factors that influence nurse attitudes towards implementation of HIT as they appear in Huryk’s article ‘Factors Influencing Nurse’s Attitudes towards Healthcare Information Technology’. Usually, nurses support the implementation of new healthcare technology. In the context of the informatics article, computer literacy and experience had a significant influence on the application of the system. Nurses who had such skills depicted positive results. Similarly, most of the respondents were willing to embrace new technology. The works of other authors that are mentioned in this essay challenge Huryk’s knowledge about the application of e-health systems. Therefore, the analysis of the determining factors is critiqued based on other health articles. The essay also explores the factors that influence nurse attitudes towards current technological trends that are highlighted by other authors. Finally, yet importantly, the essay provides various areas that have been overlooked in the article concerning the welfare of nurses that greatly determines their attitudes towards the implementation of e-health systems.
Introduction
The essay involves an analysis of various articles concerning the impact of Health Information Technology (HIT) on the sector. In the informatics article ‘Factors Influencing Nurse’s Attitudes towards Healthcare Information Technology’, Laurie A. Huryk highlights a number of factors that influence nurse attitudes towards application of HIT. A comparison between the primary article and contributions that have been advanced by other authors such as Frimpong et al., Nilsson, Hofflander, Eriksén, and Borg. Other health literature brings about an understanding of the challenges that are faced by medical institutions during integration of improved systems. This essay analyzes the presentation of various factors that influence nurse attitudes towards incorporation of modern information technology in health facilities.
Article Summary
The primary article highlights the impact of introducing HIT on the healthcare sector. It also reviews the perceptions of other authors on the application of high-tech methods in hospitals. According to Huryk (2010), the introduction of HIT had a great impact on the healthcare systems of different nations. For instance, countries such as Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada implemented HIT systems with an aim of improving the quality and efficiency of patient care delivery. However, advanced health systems were accompanied by various changes that affected their organizational structures (Huryk, 2010). As a result, nurses had to adopt the new technological methods. The initial perceptions of nurses on such systems have changed. Huryk (2010) posits that mixed nurse reactions were evident during the adoption of HIT. Nurses who had greater computer experience supported the introduction of modern technology in healthcare facilities. However, many opponents of the computerized systems held that HIT dehumanized patient care (Huryk, 2010).
Review of the Article
In the primary article, Huryk (2010) analyzes various demographic and environmental factors that influence the attitudes of nurses towards HIT. The article provides an analysis of how some developed countries have adopted HIT. Huryk also discusses the impact of implementing technological systems on the healthcare sector. For instance, Frimpong et al. (2013), the US government has spent approximately 20 billion dollars on the implementation of HIT.
However, the presentation of the article depicts various strengths and weaknesses. One of the most important ideas that is discusses in the article is that most nurses work under the supervision of senior healthcare professionals. Therefore, the relevant authorities should verify any systems that are introduced to the healthcare sector. The primary article shows that many young nurses are willing and comfortable working with technology (Huryk, 2010). However, the systems need proper certification before installation into health centers (Nilsson, Hofflander, Eriksén, & Borg, 2012). Secondly, the article points out that modern e-health systems have resulted in fewer medical errors, reduced paperwork, improved efficiency, and quality of service delivery. This information implies that the overall effect of implementing healthcare technology is increased access to medical services. Furthermore, other information that is well represented in the article is that nurses have the will to embrace e-health systems. Lastly, Huryk (2010) highlights the idea of involving public discussions on matters that pertain to the design and integration of the system into the clinical workforce.
Huryk’s article has a number of drawbacks that influence the attitudes of nurses towards the adoption of new medical systems. At the outset, a review of the above article shows that the issues that are raised in the public domain are the causes of the mixed nurse reactions towards the integration of IT systems in healthcare delivery. In addition, Huryk’s article fails to provide sufficient details on the installation of the systems in medical centers. Instead, the article focuses on the integration of the system into the workforce.
Despite the aforementioned cons and pros of the article, Huryk (2010) overlooked the inclusion of important information on the conditions of work that influence the attitudes of nurses. In addition, factors such as nurse motivation and training are not taken into account in the article. Nilsson et al. (2012) posit that incentives and nurturing of talents are paramount to increasing the motivation of nurses in an attempt to win their support towards technological change.
Conclusion
Although Huryk has presented some of the factors that influence technological changes in the health sector, there are important details that have been left out. For instance, the article should have included factors such as nurse motivation, training, and conditions of work that affect their attitudes towards change. Nonetheless, nurses should adopt contemporary computerized systems to deliver superior patient care.
Reference List
Frimpong, J., Jackson, B., Stewart, L., Singh, K., Rivers, P., & Bae, S. (2013). Health information technology capacity at federally qualified health centers: a mechanism for improving quality of care. BMC Health Services Research, 13(1), 1-12.
Huryk, L. (2010). Factors influencing nurses’ attitudes towards health care technology. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(1), 606-12.
Nilsson, L., Hofflander, M., Eriksén, S., & Borg, C. (2012). The importance of interaction in the implementation of information technology in health care: A symbolic interactionism study on the meaning of accessibility. Informatics for Health & Social Care, 37(4), 277-90.