NURS 6051 Discussion: The Inclusion of Nurses in the Systems Development Life Cycle Discussion: The Inclusion of Nurses in the Systems Development Life Cycle

NURS 6051 Discussion: The Inclusion of Nurses in the Systems Development Life Cycle Discussion: The Inclusion of Nurses in the Systems Development Life Cycle

According to McGonigle & Mastrian (2018), a systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a process of developing systems to deliver information systems in an efficient and effective way.  The many approaches to SDLC can be applied to individual businesses needs to determine which approach would be the most beneficial to implement depending on the need of the business.  As an example the waterfall method of systems development life cycle has multiple steps including feasibility, analysis, design, implement, test and maintain.  Throughout each step it would be important to involve nursing staff because often these systems that are implemented affect our workflow and the direct clinical care we are able to deliver (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.).

Cognizant of  the role that training plays when it comes to improving a nurse’s competencies in EBP and thus empowering them to contribute to the development of EBP, here are certain strategies that can be undertaken from both an organizational level, to the larger professional level. At the organizational level, the organization can organize for opportunities where their nurses can get trained on evidence based practice. On the greater professional levels, professional bodies such as the ANA and the ANCC have developed certification program for nurses. By including components of evidence based practice  in the certification exams, this ensures that nurses will prepare and apprise themselves on EBP and thus, in order to earn the certification, they will have to be competent in EBP. Alternatively, the institutions can include a whole different certification for EBP, where nurses will specifically be trained on EBP, tested on the same and thus, their competency will be proven by their certification. This will ultimately improve their ability to participate in the development and implementation of EBP.

In the feasibility stage of the waterfall method the business addresses whether the project should be initiated and is often when the budget for the project is proposed.  As an example my hospital implemented a new labeling system hospital wide, roughly a 1,000-bed facility, due to the amount of specimen labeling errors.  By involving nurses in this stage of the systems development life cycle staff would be privy to the data behind the amount of specimen labeling errors made and be able to make it apparent why it is important to improve the labeling system. BY not including nurses in this part of the decision making process you fail to include them in the reason for the change.  The next stage, analysis, helps determine current business practices and details about the needs are assessed.  Involving nurses in the analysis stage allows administrative staff the opportunity to understand how the technology is being utilized on a day-to-day basis so that educated decisions can be made on the proceedings of the issue.  In the design phase, probably the most important phase due to the impact on nursing workflow, nurses should be involved when it comes to choosing between the different systems (in this case choosing labeling programs and printers) and sampling the new workflow prior to a permanent decision being made.  Not considering those who use the technology in day to day patient care can often be more dangerous than not having any technology available at all (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018).  If a new technology creates a more difficult workflow for nurses there are potential for further mistakes to be made and the delivery of patient care could suffer.

In the implementation phase the vision of this new technology is brought to life through the programming.  While some nurses may not have the technological savvy to understand the operating systems required for these programs to run it is important for them to test their functionality in simulated and real-life situations and they also do this during the test phase.  During the test phase the program may be implemented in stages, like with new label making the program itself and new printers were rolled out to outpatient

Discussion The Inclusion of Nurses in the Systems Development Life Cycle

care areas prior to inpatient areas to determine if the system preformed appropriately and were achieving the goals of the business (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018).  Nurses are key to