Effectiveness and Benefits of Electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR) Systems
New technology—and the application of existing technology—only appears in healthcare settings after careful and significant research. The stakes are high, and new clinical systems need to offer evidence of positive impact on outcomes or efficiencies.
Nurse informaticists and healthcare leaders formulate clinical system strategies. As these strategies are often based on technology trends, informaticists and others have then benefited from consulting existing research to inform their thinking.
In this Assignment, you will review existing research focused on the application of clinical systems. After reviewing, you will summarize your findings.
To Prepare:
Review the Resources and reflect on the impact of clinical systems on outcomes and efficiencies within the context of nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
Conduct a search for recent (within the last 5 years) research focused on the application of clinical systems. The research should provide evidence to support the use of one type of clinical system to improve outcomes and/or efficiencies, such as “the use of personal health records or portals to support patients newly diagnosed with diabetes.”
Identify and select 5 peer-reviewed articles from your research.
The Assignment: (4-5 pages)
In a 4- to 5-page paper, synthesize the peer-reviewed research you reviewed. Be sure to address the following:
Identify the 5 peer-reviewed articles you reviewed, citing each in APA format.
Summarize each study, explaining the improvement to outcomes, efficiencies, and lessons learned from the application of the clinical system each peer-reviewed article described. Be specific and provide examples.
Nursing Informatics: Articles Review
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Nursing Informatics: Articles Review
Technology has increased efficiency and overall outcomes in many facets of life. The medical field has also embraced the use of technology to enhance patient care and improve patient outcome. This paper reviews research articles on the effectiveness of electronic medication administration record (eMAR) systems in enhancing patient safety through a reduction of medication administration errors.
Article One
A study comparing the use of paper-based records and eMAR was conducted by Qian, Yu, and Hailey (2015). The study utilized time-motion observation, document analysis, field notes and conversations with nurses to identify the difference between eMAR and paper-based records. An investigation into one residential aged care home was carried out and two groups were observed, each using a different medication administration record system. The study revealed that the group that used paper-based records was prone to documentation violations where documentation was done prior to administering medication to the residents. However, the group that used eMAR did not encounter such a problem. In addition, the study indicated that the use of eMAR was associated with a reduced error of failing to medicate a patient. This is attributable to the fact that eMARs remind nurses when it is time for medication administration by sending them alerts. Thus, patient outcomes are improved as a result. However, the study revealed that the use of eMARs did not have a significant effect on the time spent in the medication administration process. In this case, the difference in efficiency of the paper-based records and eMARs was insignificant. In addition, the study indicated that the use of eMARs is associated with some unintended negative outcomes such as failure to administer medication to a patient due to a power outage which affects the alerting device. Thus, through the study, it was revealed that clinicians should always have a back-up plan in case the eMAR fails to function in the face of difficulties.
Article Two
Medication omissions can greatly affect the recovery process and health outcomes of patients. Dalton, Sabuda, Bresee, and Conly (2015) conducted a one-year study to examine the rate of medication omissions in an inpatient setting, specifically in the administration of antimicrobials. The study, conducted in Alberta, Canada, utilized the eMARs to trace medication omissions in medical wards. The study revealed that some of the medication omissions that appeared in the eMAR would not have appeared in a paper-based medication administration record. This is an indication that eMARs improve the documentation process and enhance efficiency in medication administration. In addition, the use of eMAR in the study provides key lessons that emphasize the benefits of eMARs. For instance, eMARs can be used as an effective tool to track and surveil the medication administration process for patients, thus improving patient outcome. In fact, Dalton, Sabuda, Bresee, and Conly (2015) posited that eMARs can facilitate flexibility in the medication administration process because once an omission has been identified in the system, rescheduling can be done to ensure that patients receive their full dosage.
Article Three
Patient safety is a key component in nursing and overall medical practice. A study conducted by Oliveros, et al. (2017) examined the relationship between eMAR and patient safety in a surgical and medical hospitalization unit. Specifically, the study analyzed the impact of eMAR application on the rate of medication administration errors. In a quasi-experimental approach, the study recorded nurses’ medication errors before and after the eMAR application was implemented in the hospital. The study revealed that the eMAR application reduced medical errors, although resistance to change by some medical staff hindered the effectiveness of the application. However, the study revealed that medication administration errors associated with wrong time administration were observed before and after the implementation of eM...