Assignment 12: Pediatric patient health outcomes
The focus of this assignment is to increase your knowledge and understanding of how informatics, specifically the electronic medical record, improves the pediatric patient health outcomes. Caring for the pediatric patient has unique elements that are not applicable in the adult population. Examples are growth and development surveillance, vaccine records, transitional changes that affect “normal findings” by age group. For example, the normal respiratory rate of a newborn is significantly different from a 10-year-old. Additionally, pediatric healthcare providers are expected to educate parents with “anticipatory guidance” according to the age of the patient. For this assignment, you are expected to analyze the utilization of the EMR that you are using in your clinical practicum and evaluate how this particular EMR system is improving health outcomes. For example, does the EMR that you are using have mechanisms in place that track growth and development, which has led to early identification of abnormals? Also, doctors and nurses who work with kids are expected to give parents “anticipatory guidance” based on the age of the child. For this assignment, you need to look at how the EMR you are using in your clinical practicum is being used and figure out how this particular EMR system is making health outcomes better. For example, does the EMR you are using have ways to track growth and development? If so, has this helped you find problems early on?
This assignment has three parts. The first part is identifying the recommended pediatric-specific functionalities of the EMR system you are using. The template will guide you through the first part of the assignment by addressing a sample of key functionalities.
Part 2 addresses some basic functions that would be recommended in any non-specific EMR.
Part 3 asks you to discuss how your system is addressing certain outcomes such as safety, collaboration, and the prevention of medication errors.
Download and complete the assignment template.
