1. response to discussion question
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, asking questions to help
clarify the scenario and application of data, or offering additional/alternative ideas for the
application of nursing informatics principles.*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow
students are referred to as colleagues. According to Walden University, nursing informatics
allows those in healthcare to use data to provide the highest quality of care to patients
(Master of Science in Nursing – Nursing Informatics, n.d.). Using the scenario I provided
below, I think using data would determine how beneficial locked units are for
individuals.ScenarioFor me, being a psychiatric/detox nurse on a Dual-Diagnosis Unit, I
obviously help manage patient’s detox from their chosen substance. Depending on their
legal status, their length of stay varies. By this, patients can be involuntary (12B),
conditional voluntary (10 & 11), or court-committed (7 & 8); just to name a few. There are
many instances where individuals are discharged and then return within a short period of
time because they relapse. I think it is important to understand the reasons for their
relapse. Does it have to do with their social situation? Other health or psychiatric
conditions? Or noncompliance with treatment? What would be the best solution to prevent
relapses?DataI believe that learning the reasons for an individual’s relapse can help
healthcare expand what should occur post-discharge. Unfortunately, many individuals do
not succeed at remaining sober. That being said, it does not mean that they failed treatment
(Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction, 2022). Some patients are discharged
home where they do not have structure or help to remain sober. They are sometimes
surrounded by the substance they originally had sought treatment for and then end up
relapsing. Others choose not to continue their medications. Some, and most substance abuse
patients, suffer from other mental illnesses that create a whole new dimension to
recovery. When patients are discharged, they could continue with a partial hospitalization
program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), or programs such as clinical
stabilization services (CSS) (Inpatient vs. Outpatient Rehab, 2014). CSS programs allow the
patient to go and live in a facility where they continue to be treated for their addiction
without being inpatient (Substance Abuse Disorder Services, n.d.). By gathering data
regarding the percentage of people who relapse after discharge, when they do another
recovery program vs. returning to society right away, would help nursing and healthcare
professionals create a productive discharge plan. In turn, if individuals are able to maintain
sobriety, they will not return to inpatient treatment repeatedly.
