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1. Discussion: Developing a new information system
Discussion: Developing a new information systemDiscussion: Developing a new information
systemThe Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a set of stages used when developing
a new information system (Ungvarsky, 2019). The SDLC is a specific plan that helps the
team throughout the entire process, from the idea of the system to the implementation
(Ungvarsky, 2019). The development of SDLC for a healthcare organization should include a
needs assessment that encompasses the needs of the organization’s healthcare workers,
including physicians and nurses (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The organization’s needs as
a whole need to be represented, so solutions get proposed to meet the needs or address
issues (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017).The waterfall model is one of the oldest methods used
in SDLC and is linear; therefore, the model is sequential, and each stage provides
information for the following stage (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The waterfall model has
six phases: feasibility, analysis, design, implementation, test, and maintain (McGonigle &
Mastrian, 2017). Feasibility helps decide if the project could be initiated and typically
addresses the following: technological, economics, legal, operational, and scheduling
feasibility (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). Operational feasibility specifically helps
determine if the project will be effective, meet the set expectations to achieve the goals of
the project, or addressing the problem at hand (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The analysis
phase helps examine the requirements for the system and business needs (McGonigle &
Mastrian, 2017). Analysis is an important step to assess the workflow (McGonigle &
Mastrian, 2017). Excluding nurses from these crucial beginning phases could be detrimental
to implementing a new health information technology system. Nurses work on the
frontlines of healthcare and would be essential to decide if the system is feasible to the
operations and workflow. For example, implementing a new EHR could be more cost-
conscious; however, the documentation could cause inefficiency in the workflow. The
design phase helps the team decide what programs are necessary and discusses how they
will interact, how the individual programs work, and what the look or feel will be
(McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). For example, nurses would be great resources to help design
and decide specifics to be included in an EHR, as nurses are often documenting several
times a shift and on multiple patients. The implementation phase occurs when the designed
system is ready to use (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The test phase evaluates the system to
ensure the program works as it was designed (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). Nurses would
be great resources to perform beta testing to ensure the system is adequate and performs
as it should. The system must be maintained after the testing phase (McGonigle & Mastrian,

2. 2017).ORDER NOW FOR CUSTOMIZED, PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPERSI have not been included
in the selection and planning of a new health information technology system in my nursing
practice. Being included in a decision-making process can result in increased satisfaction for
workers and improve the overall morale of the organization. A study by Graham-Dickerson
et al. (2013) concluded that involving staff nurses in decision-making had a positive impact
on the work environment, and nurses reported feeling like part of a team when they were
included.ReferencesGraham-Dickerson, P., Houser, J., Thomas, E., Casper, C., ErkenBrack, L.,
Wenzel, M., & Siegrist, M. (2013). The value of staff nurse involvement in decision making.
Journal of Nursing Administration, 43(5), 286–292. https://doi-
org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1097/NNA.0b013e31828eec15McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K.
G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA:
Jones & Bartlett Learning.Ungvarsky, J. (2019). Systems development life cycle (SDLC).
Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-
com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=119214383&site=eds-
live&scope=site Discussion: Developing a new information systemBottom of FormHeidiTop
of FormNurses should be a part of the system development life cycle for many reasons.
Nurses can bring a variety of different references to the team. They can provide their
expertise in patient care to develop a successful program.1. Planning-Software innovation
requires collaboration with a team of people to understand what needs are to be met and
how to best accomplish this (McLean, Frisch, & Roudsari, 2015). Without involving nurses
in this process, you would not know what issues need resolved and what the perceived
problem is. Nurses can easily identify what needs improved. Involving nurses at this stage
can help address problems that are not well known to everyone. Nurses from different
specialties should be involved.2. Design- Nurses typically make up a large portion of the
people who will be implementing or carrying out the program and using it on a daily basis.
Nurses who do not have input into design will sometimes find a system redundant or non-
user friendly. This can lead to frustration and sometimes a delay in care if the system is hard
to navigate for the nurse. Most of this phase is done by the IT team (Singletary & Baker,
2019). This would be a great stage to involve the nurse informaticist to bridge the gap
between technology and nursing. The easier it is to navigate the system the better the
outcomes for the nurses. Some programs are not well -designed leading to undue stress on
the staff3. Implementation-If nurses are not properly trained for implementation, they may
be discouraged from using the program. If there are no resources for this stage the staff will
fail to comply with the program. Nurses could potentially train as super-users for program
implementation (Tyler, 2019). Nurses need to have a go to person for any questions about
the program and how to overcome them.4. Maintenance/Evaluation- If program developers
and participants do not get the input from nurses about the pros and cons of the system,
they may never truly make it a great program. Policies and procedures are always changing
and there is a need to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of the system. Nurses should be
allowed to be part of this process so that the program can be edited based on the needs of
the nurses and the patients.I have been involved in the implementation of the Cerner
program at the hospital I formerly worked at. We switched to Cerner from a paper system,
so it was quite the change and came with a lot of challenges. All staff were trained on the

3. system and a select few had additional training to be super users. Those who did not receive
additional training were not as well prepared and, in my opinion, all staff should have had
the additional education. We also had cheat sheets made out for us with the most frequently
asked questions/problems that we used for resources. It was a challenge to get everyone
motivated to switch to an electronic health record from paper, but eventually we made the
switch. We also had a nurse informaticist who was available for questions or when
problems came up with the system. There were numerous times that the nursing staff
voiced concern over an issue with the system being redundant or cumbersome, but the
complaints never made a difference in editing the program. Our complaints were never
taken any further up the chain.ReferencesMcLean, A., Frisch, N., & Roudsari, A. (2015,
December 19). Nursing’s voice in healthcare IT acquisition decisions. Retrieved from
http://cjni.net/journal/?p=4248Singletary, V., & Baker, E. L. (2019). Building informatics-
savvy health departments. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 25(6), 610-
611. doi:10.1097/phh.0000000000001086Tyler, D. (2019). A day in the life of a nurse
informaticist. Journal of Informatics Nursing, 4(1), 18-20. Retrieved from
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origsite=gscholar&cbl=2044826 Discussion: Developing a new information system