Reflect on the impact of clinical systems on outcomes and efficiencies within the context of nursing practice and healthcare delivery.

The advancement of clinical systems has had an immense impact on the outcomes and efficiencies of nursing practice and healthcare delivery. Clinical systems are defined as “information technology applications that support a health care organization’s functions, such as electronic patient records, order entry/decision support, computerized provider order entry (CPOE), laboratory information management systems (LIMS), radiology information systems (RIS), picture archiving communication system (PACS) and administrative/financial systems” (Chen & Wu, 2017). For example, Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) have been widely implemented in healthcare organizations to reduce time wasted manually recording data into paper medical charts. According to a recent survey conducted by Wolters Kluwer Health between 2012–2016 it was found that ninety-seven percent of hospitals in the United States used an EMR system or had plans to implement one within five years from 2016 onwards Additionally, fifty-six percent reported using CPOEs when ordering tests or medications for patients.

The implementation of EMRs into clinical settings has increased efficiency significantly by providing access to medical records without having to search through paper files. This allows nurses and other healthcare professionals quick access to pertinent data which increases accuracy when making decisions regarding patient care (~Vaccaro et al., 2018). Additionally, EMRs can help identify gaps in knowledge regarding best practices to improve nursing documentation related to evidence-based practice protocols (~Bauer et al., 2010).