In the media introduction to this module, it was suggested that you as a nurse have an important role in the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). With a focus on patient care and outcomes, nurses may not always see themselves as contributors to the development of new systems. However, as you may have observed in your own experience, exclusion of nurse contributions when implementing systems can have dire consequences.
In this Discussion, you will consider the role you might play in systems development and the ramifications of not being an active participant in systems development.
To Prepare:
Review the steps of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) as presented in the Resources.
Reflect on your own healthcare organization and consider any steps your healthcare organization goes through when purchasing and implementing a new health information technology system.
Consider what a nurse might contribute to decisions made at each stage of the SDLC when planning for new health information technology.
By Day 3 of Week 9
Post a description of what you believe to be the consequences of a healthcare organization not involving nurses in each stage of the SDLC when purchasing and implementing a new health information technology system. Provide specific examples of potential issues at each stage of the SDLC and explain how the inclusion of nurses may help address these issues. Then, explain whether you had any input in the selection and planning of new health information technology systems in your nursing practice or healthcare organization and explain potential impacts of being included or not in the decision-making process. Be specific and provide examples.
Discussion: The Inclusion of Nurses in the Systems Development Life Cycle
Nurses are usually the information systems’ end users and should be involved in their development and implementation. Nurses play a key role in all stages of the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) since their input determines the project’s success. Various potential issues can emerge at each stage of the SDLC, and nurses’ inclusion may help address them.
The first stage in SDLC is planning and requirements definition. During this stage, the project leader collects information from users (Chokshi & Mann, 2018). A potential issue is an incomplete project requirement description due to the failure to collect adequate information. Involving nurses can help to understand their needs and create a system that they can accept and use.
The second stage is analysis. During the phase, the project team examines the system’s performance regarding specific conditions, such as user needs. A potential issue during the stage is failing to meet user needs, which they can eliminate by including nurses’ input in the analysis.
The third stage in the process is the design of the new system. During this stage, the project team documents the specifications, features, and operations to address the requirements (Hübner et al., 2018). A possible issue during the stage is designing a system that is too wide in scope, which the team can eliminate by working with nurse informatics to design a system that meets their needs.
The fourth stage is the implementation, including system documentation to prepare it for use. The possible issue in this stage is a failure to conduct a successful pilot study (Vaughn et al., 2016). The project team can eliminate the problem by getting a sample of nurses to engage in the pilot and ascertain its usability.
Finally, the project team engages in post-implementation support, which involves maintenance and upgrading the system. During this stage, resistance can cause issues, which the team can eradicate by involving nurses fully in the implementation and usage.
I have played an instrumental role in selecting and planning a new hit in my nursing practice, which played a crucial role in its success. Since the system was to collect patient records, as a nurse, I provided information, such as the number of users, the type and quantity of data it would gather, and the storage space.
References
Chokshi, S. K., & Mann, D. M. (2018). Innovating from within: a process model for user-centered digital development in academic medical centers. JMIR human factors, 5(4), e11048.
Hübner, U., Shaw, T., Thye, J., Egbert, N., de Fatima Marin, H., Chang, P., … & Ball, M. J. (2018). Technology informatics guiding education reform–TIGER: an international recommendation framework of core competencies in health informatics for nurses. Methods of information in medicine, 57(Suppl 1), e30.
Vaughn, J., Lister, M., & Shaw, R. J. (2016). Piloting augmented reality technology to enhance realism in clinical simulation. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 34(9), 402-405.