A Personal Health Record - Paper Example

A personal health record is a newly introduced and adopted mode of health data management system where the patient fills and maintains the health data rather than the institution of medical practice like hospitals keeping the records. This method has proved to be very effective and reliable. It has revolutionized the health sector in a big way as the health records are now more accurate and complete. Personal health records have come to the aid of the nurse's professional practice as the information keeping has been greatly improved and this makes the work of the nurse very easy (Houser, 2016). The patients' health statistical data can be used to make a decision that is accurate hence improving nursing and healthcare at large.

Evidence-based practice in the nursing profession is one of the beneficiaries of this mode of keeping health records as discussed in this paper.

Example of Personal Health Records

Best evidence practice is a term that every nurse has heard whether in their profession undertaking or in their school time regardless of when they went to school. In the recent past, best evidence practices have featured in many job descriptions for nurses who are in their clinical profession practice yet many people don't understand what it entails or what it is (DiCenso, Guyatt, & Ciliska 2014). Evidence-based practice, EBP is a the consistent, orderly and planned procedure or method of making a clinical decision using the best and most reliable evidence available, expert's advice, and patient's priorities and preferences (Fain, 2017). It has a direct impact on health care and if violated can cause a violation of healthcare code of practice and even death to the patient. It is thus an integral part of nursing professional practice.

The advantage of using evidence-based practice by far outweigh the disadvantages if any. It has provided a new different way of thinking for the medical personnel and mostly nurses. The old traditional ways are now a thing of the past. This has not only saved lives but also has changed how nurses in the professional practice think and handle various tasks that involve the patient (DiCenso, Guyatt, & Ciliska 2014). EBP entails using the best approach recommended by an expert, using patients preference to make clinical decisions.

Personal Experience

Most nurses dream to work and deliver the best service to the patients and so do I. However, this is not always the case as there are some hurdles that one must encounter in the pursuit of this noble act. My first experience with evidence-based practice was at a hospital where I was on-boarded as a junior nurse.

Making the right, consistent, and an orderly decision was ever my aim but this was met with some resistance from my seniors. Seeking expert advice, for instance, to help me make the right decision for the patient often had a similar response from the experts. "This is how we always do it" was the phrase that they used to mean that I should not use the method and rather just adopt the traditional method that is used by the experts. This was a big blow to my high hope of propagating the evidence-based practice method of making clinical decisions.

To curb this behavior by the senior nurses training them the importance of new good practices like evidence-based practice should be done regularly by their respective institution.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Evidence-Based Practice is one of the concrete pillars of nursing and should be adopted by every nurse in any healthcare facility. Being largely supported by other new practices and methods like the Personal Health Records which provide accurate and complete health data for the patient, EBP should provide a facelift to the nursing and healthcare services. Statistical data for Personal Health Records should thus be the starting point of Evidence-Based Practice that by a nurse.

References

DiCenso, A., Guyatt, G., & Ciliska, D. (2014). Evidence-Based Nursing-E-Book: A Guide to Clinical Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Fain, J. A. (2017). Reading, understanding, and applying nursing research. Illinois: FA Davis.

Houser, J. (2016). Nursing research: Reading, using and creating evidence. New Jersey: Jones & Bartlett Learning.