Electronic Health Records
Two parts in one submission and two different registers. The first is grounded in one unit and one system; the second is a headed theory essay, and the sections must be visible to the marker.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 22, 2026
One submission, two registers, and headed sections
Two parts, two registers, and the brief is unusually explicit that part two needs headed sections a professor can navigate. Do not blend them. Part one is descriptive and personal: name the setting and the system and then list what you actually do in it, which on a cardiac unit means telemetry data flowing into the record, barcode medication administration, order entry and results review, care plan documentation, handoff tools, and the alerts and clinical decision support that fire during a shift. Specificity is what makes this section work, so the tasks should be ones you could name the screen for. It also protects you from the commonest failure here, which is writing a paragraph about informatics in nursing generally: a marker who has read thirty of those can spot the difference between someone describing their own shift and someone paraphrasing a textbook, and only the first answers the question that was asked.
The project topic proposal is worth more attention than students give it, because a topic chosen carelessly here has to be lived with for the rest of the course. Electronic health records as a whole is too broad to be a project; narrow it to something a cardiac unit would recognise, such as alert fatigue in telemetry monitoring, documentation burden and its effect on time at the bedside, or the handoff tool and information loss between shifts. Part two then needs actual theory, and the recognisable frame is the data, information, knowledge and wisdom progression, which is the standard model for what informatics does. Around it you can bring nursing theory to explain what the data are about, systems and change theory to explain adoption, and human factors or usability theory to explain why well-designed systems still get worked around. Three headed sections is exactly enough for three of those.
Likely learning objectives
- Describe informatics use in a named setting with specific tasks.
- Narrow a project topic to something answerable within a course.
- Apply a recognised informatics theory rather than describing technology.
- Structure a paper so required sections are visible to a marker.
Assignment instructions
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Part one: Discuss your current practice setting (I work on a cardiac unit) and how informatics is involved in your practice. Include what work-related tasks you complete using healthcare informatics and what server your facility uses (We use epic) . Lastly, think of one or two topics for the Signature Assignment project (look ahead to Module 8 for details) you will complete during this course and provide a brief description. Please provide a brief description of Electronic Health Records: as this would be the topic for my project Part two: Assignment: Introduction to Theory in Healthcare Informatics Write an essay addressing each of the following points/questions. Be sure to completely answer all the questions for each number item. There should be three sections, one for each item number below, as well the introduction (heading is the title of the essay) and conclusion paragraphs. Separate each section in your paper with a clear heading that allows your professor to know which bullet you are addressing in that section of your paper. Support your ideas with at least three (3) citations in your essay. Make sure to reference the citations using the APA writing style for the essay. The cover page and reference page do not count towards the minimum word amount. Review the rubric criteria for this assignment. Electronic Health Records Write an essay addressing the following prompts: Electronic health records (EHRs) are easier to read than the paper charts of the past, but many complain that healthcare providers are focusing too much on the computer screen instead of the patient. Is this due to lack of skill or training, poor computer system design, or just the nature of computer charting? Is patient care suffering from the implementation of EHRs? Charting in an EHR consist of clicking boxes, do you feel this provides enough detail about the patient, condition, and events if there was a law suit? Hebda, Hunter and Czar (2019) identify three types of data that is currently being tracked by organizations (p. 46). Identify and explain another type of data, specific to your practice, that is being tracked by an organization. Why do you feel this data is important to track? Identify and discuss the organization that is tracking the data. Are there any ethical concerns with an outside organization tracking this data, explain and give examples? In this week’s discussion post, you identified and explain the topic selected for the project. Provide a description of your selected topic based on input from the discussion forum. What is your project, why is it relevant to this class, and why is it important to you? Identify an informatics/healthcare theory from pages 29-30 of the textbook that aligns with the project and explain why. Assignment Expectations: Length: 500 words per essay prompt/each section (1500 total for this assignment) Structure: Include a title page and reference page in APA style. These do not count towards the minimal word amount for this assignment. All APA Papers should include an introduction and conclusion. References: Use the appropriate APA style in-text citations and references for all resources utilized to answer the questions. Include at least three (3) scholarly sources to support your claims. Attached are pages from the textbook to help with the assignment
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01The practice setting and the system it uses, named.
- 02Specific work tasks completed using informatics.
- 03One or two proposed project topics with brief descriptions.
- 04A theory essay in three clearly headed sections.
- 05Introduction and conclusion paragraphs.
- 06At least three citations in APA style.
The unit and the system, then the theory essay
The setting and the system
Name the unit and the electronic record, and the workflow around them.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A system named, with how it is used on that specific unit.
What you actually do with it
List informatics-supported tasks as they occur across a shift.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A task tied to a screen or a device rather than a category.
A project topic worth living with
Propose one or two narrowed topics with a sentence of scope each.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A topic narrow enough that its scope is obvious.
The theory of what informatics does
Apply the data, information, knowledge and wisdom progression to your setting.
What the assessor is likely looking for
The progression applied to a real data element from your unit.
Adoption and usability theory
Use change and human factors theory to explain workarounds and adoption.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A workaround explained by design rather than by attitude.
Where informatics theory and evidence are published
Recommended databases
- PubMed Central
- NCBI Bookshelf
- HealthIT.gov
- University Library
Search sequence
- 1.Read a source on the data-to-wisdom progression before writing part two.
- 2.Search for alert fatigue or documentation burden evidence in your chosen topic area.
- 3.Look for a usability study explaining clinician workarounds.
- 4.Check what informatics competencies your specialty body publishes.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Clinical Decision Support Systems
Fundamentals of Clinical Data Science, NCBI Bookshelf · 2019
Clinical decision support, for the knowledge layer of the informatics progression.
The association between perceived electronic health record usability and professional burnout among US nurses
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 28(8), 1632-1641 · 2021
Usability and clinician burnout, for the human factors section.
Interoperability
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology · 2024
Interoperability, for where data crosses system boundaries.
Nurses' Roles in mHealth App Development: Scoping Review
JMIR Nursing · 2023
Nurses' roles in health app development, for the nursing contribution to design.
Implementing electronic health records in hospitals: a systematic literature review
BMC Health Services Research · 2014
Implementation review, for adoption and change theory applied to record systems.
Before you submit this assignment
Common mistakes
- Blending the two parts so the theory essay loses its headings.
- Listing informatics tasks generically rather than as done on that unit.
- Proposing a project topic too broad to complete.
- Describing technology in part two where theory is required.
- Using fewer than three citations, which the brief specifies.
Submission checklist
- Are the two parts clearly separated?
- Are your tasks specific to your named setting and system?
- Is the project topic narrow enough to complete?
- Does part two have three headed sections plus introduction and conclusion?
- Are there at least three citations?
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read Brinevia's academic-integrity policy.
Written by
Maren Caldwell
MSN, RN, CNE
Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation
Maren is a registered nurse with over 15 years of clinical and educational experience in medical-surgical nursing. She writes on NCLEX preparation, patient care fundamentals, pharmacology and evidence-based practice.
Reviewed by
Dr. Tessa Redmond
DNP, RN, CNE
Evidence-based practice and clinical education
Tessa is a doctorally-prepared nurse educator. She reviews Brinevia content for clinical accuracy and alignment with current evidence-based guidelines.