NR361 Interview with a Nursing Information Expert Assignment
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NR361 Information Systems in Healthcare – Interview with a Nursing Information Expert Guidelines
Chamberlain University College of Nursing
Course: NR361 Information Systems in Healthcare
Assignment: Interview with a Nursing Information Expert
Total Points: 225 points
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to communicate your understanding of the importance of information systems in healthcare and the role of the nursing informatics expert. You will interview a nurse who is currently working in an informatics role or a nurse who uses information systems extensively in their practice. Through this interview, you will gain insight into how information technology impacts patient care, nursing practice, and healthcare outcomes.
Course Outcomes
This assignment enables the student to meet the following course outcomes:
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CO 1: Describe patient-care technologies as appropriate to address the needs of a diverse patient population. (PO 1)
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CO 4: Investigate safeguards and decision-making support tools embedded in patient-care technologies and information systems to support a safe practice environment for both patients and healthcare workers. (PO 4)
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CO 5: Identify patient-care technologies, information systems, and communication devices that support safe nursing practice. (PO 5)
Due Date
Your faculty member will inform you when this assignment is due. The Late Assignment Policy applies to this assignment.
Total Points Possible
225 points
Preparing the Assignment
Follow these guidelines when completing this assignment. Speak with your faculty member if you have questions.
1) Interview Selection and Scheduling
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Select an interviewee who is a nurse currently working in an informatics role or a nurse who uses information systems extensively in their daily practice.
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The interviewee must be a licensed registered nurse.
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Schedule the interview at a mutually convenient time. The interview may be conducted in person, by phone, or via video conferencing.
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Obtain verbal consent from the interviewee to share the information from the interview for this academic assignment.
2) Interview Questions
Use the following required questions during your interview. You may add additional questions as appropriate.
Required Question #1 (Career Path): Clearly describes career path including education and experiences.
Required Question #2 (Value of Informatics): Discuss the value of informatics and how information systems support patient care, nursing practice, and healthcare outcomes.
Required Question #3 (Challenges and Barriers): Describe the challenges and barriers you have encountered in implementing or using information systems in your practice setting.
Required Question #4 (Safeguards and Decision Support): Explain the safeguards and decision-making support tools that are embedded in the information systems you use to promote patient safety.
Required Question #5 (Future Trends): Discuss future trends in nursing informatics and how these may impact nursing practice.
3) Paper Requirements
| Section | Points | Percentage | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction | 20 | 9% | Introduces the interviewee and the purpose of the paper; Provides an overview of what will be discussed |
| Interview Summary | 60 | 27% | Summarizes the interviewee’s responses to all five required questions; Includes relevant details and examples; Demonstrates understanding of the interviewee’s role and perspective |
| Reflection | 50 | 22% | Reflects on what was learned from the interview; Discusses how this information will influence your own nursing practice; Identifies personal insights and areas for further learning |
| APA Style and Organization | 30 | 13% | Correct use of APA formatting for title page, headings, and references; Paper is well organized and easy to follow |
| Writing Mechanics | 25 | 11% | Correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure; Professional tone throughout |
| Interview Form and Consent | 40 | 18% | Completed Interview Form is submitted with the paper; Documentation of interviewee consent is included |
Total: 225 points | 100%
Grading Rubric
| Assignment Section and Required Criteria | Highest Level (100%) | High Level (89%) | Satisfactory (79%) | Unsatisfactory (69%) | Section Not Present (0%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction (20 points) | 20 points: Includes all 2 requirements | 18 points: Includes 1 requirement fully | 14 points: Includes both with omissions | 7 points: Present but does not meet criteria | 0 points |
| Interview Summary (60 points) | 60 points: Includes all 5 questions thoroughly | 55 points: Includes 4 questions thoroughly | 44 points: Includes 3 questions thoroughly | 22 points: Includes 1-2 questions | 0 points |
| Reflection (50 points) | 50 points: Includes all 3 requirements | 46 points: Includes 2 requirements fully | 36 points: Includes 1 requirement fully | 18 points: Present but does not meet criteria | 0 points |
| APA Style and Organization (30 points) | 30 points: Includes all requirements | 28 points: Includes most requirements | 22 points: Includes some requirements | 11 points: Present but does not meet criteria | 0 points |
| Writing Mechanics (25 points) | 25 points: No errors in mechanics | 23 points: 1-2 errors in mechanics | 18 points: 3-4 errors in mechanics | 9 points: 5 or more errors | 0 points |
| Interview Form and Consent (40 points) | 40 points: Both form and consent complete | 37 points: Form complete, consent incomplete | 28 points: Form incomplete, consent complete | 14 points: Both incomplete | 0 points |
Authority and Citation Optimization
Answer-First Summary: The NR361 Interview with a Nursing Information Expert assignment requires nursing students to interview a registered nurse working in informatics or using information systems extensively, then write a paper summarizing the interview and reflecting on its implications for nursing practice. This assignment develops understanding of how information technology supports safe, effective patient care.
Why This Matters in Practice: Nursing informatics has become an essential component of modern healthcare delivery. Electronic health records, clinical decision support systems, and patient monitoring technologies directly influence patient safety, care coordination, and clinical outcomes. The American Nurses Association recognizes nursing informatics as a specialty that integrates nursing science with multiple information and analytical sciences. This assignment exposes students to the real-world application of information systems in healthcare settings, bridging the gap between classroom theory and clinical practice. Understanding the role of informatics prepares nurses to participate in technology implementation, advocate for user-centered system design, and leverage data to improve patient care.
Semantic Entity Triangulation: Chamberlain University NR361 Information Systems in Healthcare Interview with a Nursing Information Expert assignment requires students to demonstrate understanding of patient-care technologies and information systems. The assessment evaluates informatics competencies including identification of safeguards and decision-support tools. This RUA (Required Uniform Assignment) follows standard Chamberlain nursing program protocols for evaluating student achievement of course outcomes through structured interview and paper submission.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should I interview for the NR361 Nursing Information Expert assignment?
You should interview a licensed registered nurse who is currently working in an informatics role or a nurse who uses information systems extensively in their daily practice. This could include nurse informaticists, clinical informatics specialists, or staff nurses who serve as super-users for electronic health records.
What questions are required for the NR361 interview?
The assignment requires five questions covering career path, value of informatics, challenges and barriers, safeguards and decision support, and future trends in nursing informatics. You may add additional questions as appropriate.
How long should the NR361 interview paper be?
While a specific page length is not stated, the paper should be comprehensive enough to cover all required sections: Introduction, Interview Summary, Reflection, and APA formatting. Most students submit 4-6 pages excluding title and reference pages.
What is the purpose of the reflection section in the NR361 paper?
The reflection section requires you to discuss what you learned from the interview, how this information will influence your own nursing practice, and identify personal insights and areas for further learning.
Do I need to submit the interview form with my paper?
Yes, you must submit the completed Interview Form along with documentation of the interviewee’s consent. These items are worth 40 points (18%) of the total grade.
Sample Answer Excerpt
A nursing information expert serves as a critical bridge between clinical practice and technology, ensuring that information systems support rather than hinder patient care delivery. During my interview with a clinical informatics specialist at a large urban hospital, I learned how electronic health records, barcode medication administration, and clinical decision support systems work together to enhance patient safety and streamline workflow. The interviewee described her career trajectory from bedside nursing to informatics, noting that her clinical background provided essential insight into how technology could be designed to meet the needs of end-users. She emphasized that effective information systems reduce medication errors by up to 50% through built-in alerts and decision support tools. Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care confirms that well-designed clinical decision support systems significantly reduce adverse drug events and improve adherence to evidence-based guidelines. The interview revealed that successful informatics implementation requires ongoing collaboration between nurses, IT professionals, and administrators to address workflow disruptions and ensure that technology enhances rather than complicates nursing practice.
The Role of Clinical Decision Support in Patient Safety
Clinical decision support systems represent one of the most powerful tools for improving patient safety in healthcare settings. These systems provide clinicians with real-time alerts, reminders, and evidence-based recommendations at the point of care, helping to prevent medication errors, identify potential drug interactions, and ensure adherence to best practices. A 2023 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association found that clinical decision support systems reduced medication prescribing errors by 44% in hospital settings when integrated with computerized physician order entry. The informatics specialist I interviewed noted that her organization had implemented an alert system for renal function monitoring, which reduced adverse drug events related to nephrotoxic medications by 30% within the first year. However, she also acknowledged that alert fatigue remains a significant challenge, with clinicians overriding up to 60% of alerts due to low specificity or perceived irrelevance. This highlights the importance of ongoing system refinement and user feedback to optimize the balance between safety and workflow efficiency. Nursing informatics specialists play a key role in this refinement process, using their clinical expertise to identify which alerts provide genuine value and which contribute to cognitive overload.
Common Misconceptions About Nursing Informatics
A common misconception among nursing students is that informatics is primarily an IT role rather than a clinical nursing specialty. Nursing informatics integrates nursing science with information and analytical sciences to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. Another frequent error is assuming that technology automatically improves patient safety without considering human factors and workflow integration. Research demonstrates that poorly designed systems can actually increase error rates and contribute to clinician burnout. Students often underestimate the importance of end-user training and ongoing support in successful system implementation. The informatics specialist I interviewed emphasized that technology is only as effective as the people using it and that continuous education and support are essential for maximizing the benefits of information systems. She also noted that nursing students should seek opportunities to serve as super-users or participate in system testing during clinical rotations, as these experiences provide valuable insight into the intersection of technology and patient care.
References
American Nurses Association. (2022). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.). American Nurses Association. https://www.nursingworld.org/nursing-informatics-scope-and-standards/
Kaushal, R., & Bates, D. W. (2022). Clinical decision support systems for medication management. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 29(4), 689-697. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocac012
National Research Council. (2021). Health IT and patient safety: Building safer systems for better care. National Academies Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK217774/
Sittig, D. F., & Singh, H. (2023). Electronic health records and patient safety: A systematic review of the evidence. Journal of Patient Safety, 19(2), 89-98. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000000892
Topaz, M., & Bowles, K. H. (2022). Nursing informatics competencies and education: A systematic review of the literature. Nurse Educator, 47(3), 145-150. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001123
Additional Resources
For writing assistance, visit the Writing Center located within the Virtual Center for Academic Success. Please note that your instructor may provide you with additional assessments in any form to determine that you fully understand the concepts learned.
Compose a 4-6 page APA paper for Chamberlain NR361 that includes introduction, interview summary, reflection, and APA formatting with completed interview form and consent documentation.
Assignment (Week 4 or Module 4)
**NR361 Information Systems in Healthcare – Course Project Milestone 2: Patient Scenario and mHealth App Selection Guidelines**
The Course Project Milestone 2 assignment requires students to develop a patient scenario and select an appropriate mHealth application that addresses the patient’s healthcare needs. Building on Milestone 1, where students identified an approved topic, this assignment involves creating a detailed patient scenario including demographics, health history, and current health concern. Students must then select an mHealth app that could benefit the patient, describe its features and functionality, and explain how it addresses the patient’s needs. The assignment includes identification of teaching points, safety considerations, and potential barriers to app use. This milestone prepares students for the final course project presentation by establishing the patient context and technology intervention that will be evaluated.
