Reply Discussion 9-2

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PLEASE REPLY TO THE FOLLOWING POST:

The system development life cycle (SDLC) is the process of developing systems. It is a way to deliver efficient and effective information systems that fit with the strategic business plan, which stems from the mission, of the organization ( McGonigle & Mastrain, 2022). This is what is required of an organization if it plans to succeed with a clinical system that fits their purpose.

A SDLC is has about 6 steps that are required to enable the system that is necessary for practice. All of these steps fit together in a sequence that rely on each other to meet an end goal. When organizations are considering the factors that each step of the process requires, it would be efficient to include a nurse’s detailed expertise and input as nurses will be the main source of input into a SDLC. Gaining feedback on specific details that will make a system run effectively for the practice and for the patient should include all licensed professionals input who are responsible for patient charting, medication management, discharge instructions and follow up care. When developers and administrators fail to include nurses early in the SDLC, the resultant systems may end up costing far more to implement and maintain. It can be very expensive and unnecessarily disruptive to remodel systems so that they can better fulfil nurses’ needs (AHRQ, 2022).

The waterfall model of the SDLC is the concept that the output from each previous phase flows into or becomes the initial input for the next stage (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). The feasibility stage of this model determines how practical this project be on the basis for technological, economical, legal, operational, and schedule views. This stage requires the gathering of information from different resources that all play a pertinent matter in system development. Anything left out in this step could result in deduction or loss of finances or legal matters. The inclusion of nurses for this step can help with schedule organization and also, inclusion of the nurse scope of practice within the state which is an important policy to be included. With this knowledge, legal matters will be addressed and keep the practice, nurses, and patients safe. The next step is the analysis phase, which views the workflows and business practices. If this step is considered in only one point of view, which excludes the nurse, it would not be beneficial for the project to base input on one perspective, as work flows are coordinated within the entire staff and at different check points throughout a visit or stay. The nurse can provide input on how work flow can be beneficial at all check points throughout the visit, from check in to discharge. The data design phase deals with determining which data are most essential for the project. Leaving out pertinent data that is necessary for billing, legal matters, documentation, history, or medications can be detrimental to the system and the practice. A nurse would be able to address this matter or add additions to what data is necessary, as nurses spend an ample amount of time with patients gathering the necessary information that makes a visit whole. The input from a nurse on data design and analysis can substantially improve project efficiency as this is the step that ensures the software’s overall configuration is properly defined. Once these steps have been addressed, the implementation process is carried out. This is step that puts the data design to life with the use of programming codes. A nurse informaticist may be of great use in this step as their main goal is to correlate the IT system with the real world of medicine. Their input could help with system delays, and potential glitches as they are already knowledgeable of what is required of a clinical system to work properly and thoroughly for a practice. Next, is the testing phase which test if the system is able to do what the workers need it to do to properly perform their jobs. This stage can be affected by potential glitches if this is not addressed in the previous stage, and without the nurse input in data design, it can cause delays in patient care when pertinent information is missing in the data design. The test phase is testing out the final piece of the project, and a nurse’s input is vital when it deals with workflow and efficiency of a patient’s visit or stay. Lastly, is the maintain phase which is maintaining the final product of the system. This might be one of the most difficult phases to accomplish, as systems constantly need updates once complications and errors are found. A nurse can contribute to this by navigating a way in the system to compromise for what is not available. Allowing for the system to remain viable for the practice.

Personally, I have never had the opportunity to give input and assist with an SDLC application however, I have learned that the input that a nurse has to offer is very important and necessary for a clinical system to be successful in a world where nurses are one of the most primary positions utilized in healthcare. In my current facility, nurses on the unit have not been included in system changes or upgrades, which have led to more charting errors, and even medication errors. A nurse’s input who deals with the practice personally, should be considered when making program changes. The impacts of being considered for SDLC involvement, include increased motivation to give insights and ideas, increased teamwork, collaborative decision-making, proper planning, and identification of an excellent design (Sittig et al., 2018).

 

FYI 2 out of the 3 resources use must come from the following list:

  • McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2022).Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge(5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
    • Chapter 9, “Systems Development Life Cycle: Nursing Informatics and Organizational Decision Making” (pp. 191–204)
    • Chapter 12, “Electronic Security” (pp. 251–265)
    • Chapter 13, “Achieving Excellence by Managing Workflow and Initiating Quality Projects”
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.a). Health IT evaluation toolkit and evaluation measures quick reference guide Links to an external site.. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://digital.ahrq.gov/health-it-evaluation-toolkit
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.b). Workflow assessment for health IT toolkit Links to an external site.. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://digital.ahrq.gov/health-it-tools-and-resources/evaluation-resources/workflow-assessment-health-it-toolkit
  • Louis, I. (2011, August 17).Systems development life cycle Links to an external site.(SDLC)[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtpyjPrpyX8
  • Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2018).Interoperability, Standards, and Security[Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

  • Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2018).Managing Health Information Technology[Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.