Nursing Professors Develop New E-Tool For Nursing Education

Clinical decision support tool makes patient assessment more efficient and accurate

Leveraging technology to make patient assessments more efficient and effective is the driving force behind the development of a new nursing clinical decision support e-tool, developed by University of Wisconsin Green Bay nursing faculty, T. Heather Herdman, RN, PhD, FNI, and Susan Gallagher-Lepak, RN, PhD, in conjunction with NANDA International (NANDA-I), an association of nursing professionals that develops, refines and publishes terminology accurately reflecting nurses’ clinical judgments..

“Learning the language of nursing in order to explain the judgments nurses make based on patient assessments is often challenging for students,” stated Dr. Herdman. “This tool will not only help with that process, but it will also help them to better communicate their knowledge. Instead of having to look up standardized assessment tools and nursing diagnoses in books after assessing a patient during clinicals, we’ve developed an interactive tool that students can use in real time, as they’re working with patients, that provides the standardized language needed for electronic health records, along with evidence-based assessment tools.”

“When using the e-tool, they will enter basic information and the e-tool will prompt them as to what additional information is needed in order to accurately diagnose or collect additional assessment data,” explained Dr. Gallagher-Lepak. “It doesn’t make a diagnosis for them; rather, it suggests potentials, as well as what other information they need to know or gather. Once they’ve completed the process, the student can email the information directly to their instructor for review. It really streamlines and improves the learning process.”

The decision support e-tool, which is now available through the Google Store and the Apple Store, was funded by a grant through WiSYS (WiSys Technology Foundation, Inc.) and funds from NANDA International, Inc. The cost is $42.99 and is recommended for students and faculty.