Newswise — Underscoring the growing role that information technology plays in the delivery of health care, The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) and Eclipsys Corporation have signed a letter of intent to launch a unique academic partnership. The goals of the partnership: To increase the health care information technology competence of nursing graduates and to design new ways of delivering safe and efficient health care utilizing health care information technology.
Hopkins nurse educators plan to use the partnership to develop and implement curriculum that incorporates Eclipsys' advanced information technology solutions, hardware and expertise. Through the curriculum, their students will have access to the company's information technology and will use a wealth of evidence-based, best-practices clinical content and knowledge-management tools. During their learning process, Hopkins nursing students will experience the use of clinical information systems in simulated, but realistic, health care situations. Graduate students and faculty will study the impact of the technology on the nursing workflow, efficiency, and error prevention, and on the educational process itself. Eclipsys, in turn, will benefit from access to Hopkins' intellectual capital, collaboration on research studies, and Hopkins' contributions to Eclipsys' ongoing product design and innovation.
According to Dr. Martha N. Hill, JHUSON dean, "The impetus for this partnership is the growing national nursing shortage and our resultant concerns over patient safety; all of which are driving the redesign nationwide of how patients will be cared for and how nursing students and nurses will be taught." Hill added that she sees the partnership as "A cutting edge response by Hopkins nursing to the nationwide patient safety and quality of care crises. Via the use of enabling information technologies, we can superbly prepare our students and study and re-engineer processes to improve the efficiency, appropriateness and safety of health care."
Patricia Abbott, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, the catalyst behind the partnership and the Hopkins project lead, noted, "We at Hopkins are acutely aware of how health care is changing. Our patients are sicker, there is an acute nursing shortage, and reports from the Institute of Medicine show that medical errors are far too common. Information technology is essential in our battle to address the critical issues of patient safety and quality of care."
Eclipsys Chief Nursing Officer Jim Cato, RN, CRNA MSH, MSN, concurs with Abbott, "Hopkins nursing will serve as a proving ground for ideas as we continue to develop information technology tools to improve the way that nurses and other clinicians deliver patient care. The School of Nursing will provide a world-class forum to teach and demonstrate health care information technology to faculty, students and staff and to drive forward the knowledge base."
"It is a privilege to collaborate with The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing on this important nursing education initiative," added Paul L. Ruflin, Eclipsys President & CEO. "The outcome will be a nursing partnership that empowers nurses with the knowledge to use advanced information technology and improve the delivery of patient care."
The School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the nation's pre-eminent schools for nursing education. U.S. News & World Report rates the graduate program among the top six in the nation. The school is home to the only Returned Peace Corps Fellows Program in nursing in the country. For more information, see http://www.son.jhmi.edu.
Eclipsys (NASDAQ: ECLP) is a leading provider of advanced clinical, financial and management information software and service solutions to more than 1,500 health care facilities. Eclipsys empowers health care organizations to improve patient safety, revenue cycle management and operational efficiency through innovative information solutions. For more information, see http://www.eclipsys.com or e-mail [email protected].
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