Module 1 - This is Me

My name is Linda Neiswender.  I am in the Clinical Nurse Leader Masters Program.  I work at Primary Children's Medical Center where I have been developing a wound and ostomy program for the past 4 1/2 years.  I am a certified pediatric nurse and recently completed my certification is wound, ostomy and continence nursing.  Completing this certification will now allow me to focus on my studies  here at the university.
Information management is essential in all areas of nursing.  As a graduate level nurse it will be even more important as I search out information to apply to my area of expertise and as I manage the information.  Databases are useful in finding out what research has been done on the use of new products and treatments.  I will also be able to establish more efficient patient and department records.
We currently document in the patient's electronic record.  We use an Excel document to import pictures of the wound, along with our documentation.  This is uploaded into the patient's record.  When not using a picture we use free-text.  We use a scheduling program to schedule patients in our outpatient clinic.  On a corporate level we are exploring the possibility of purchasing a wound charting program.  These would enable us to document, run searches, keep statistics, generate reports and billing statements, among other functions.