In an effort to improve patient safety and lower costs, the American government and healthcare system

by | Jan 15, 2025 | healthcare

 

 

In an effort to improve patient safety and lower costs, the American government and healthcare system made the massive shift from paper to electronic health records (EHRs) in the early 2000s. Presidents Bush and Obama both facilitated this process by creating the Office of National Coordinator, landmark legislation, and financial incentives and penalties to encourage the use of EHRs, respectively (McBride & Tietze, 2023, p. 155). Although important to the health of the country, this exponential rise in EHR usage did not optimally use the phases of the systems development life cycle (SDLC). The five phases of the SDLC are planning, analysis, design and implementation, system and functionality testing, and implementation, evaluation, maintenance, and support (McBride & Tietze, 2023, p. 177). I do not have firsthand experience of this rapid transition, but I have spoken to nurses who worked during this time. Often, the adjectives used are overwhelming and stressful. They are not alone, as the national quality survey updated their aims to improve the countrys health by including managing clinician well-being and burnout rates in the 2010s because of EHR implementation (McBride & Tietze, 2023, p. 168). So heavy is the burden of a new EHR that reports reveal that some healthcare workers today quit when a new EHR system is implemented (Jedwab et al., 2021). If institutions had thoroughly utilized the SDLC and involved key stakeholders such as doctors and nurses during this process, they could have reduced the level of national burnout. How often do we nurses today have more charting added to our already full plate because of an EHR update or policy change? How frequently do we feel overwhelmed? And we are in the age of 5G internet, mobile applications, and telehealth visits. I cannot imagine that with the well-intentioned but strong push from the government, EHRs in the early 2000s optimized the SDLC.

Were you a nurse during this national transition? What experiences are the most memorable to you during this time?

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


This question has been answered

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

  • Focus on Meeting Government Mandates: The primary driver for EHR adoption was government incentives and penalties, which may have prioritized rapid implementation over a thorough and user-centered approach.
  • Limited Nurse Involvement: Nurses, as the primary users of EHRs, were often not sufficiently involved in the planning, design, and implementation phases of the SDLC. This lack of input resulted in systems that were not optimally designed for their workflows and needs.
  • Insufficient Training and Support: Many nurses received inadequate training on the new EHR systems, leading to frustration, errors, and decreased efficiency.
  • Focus on Meeting Government Mandates: The primary driver for EHR adoption was government incentives and penalties, which may have prioritized rapid implementation over a thorough and user-centered approach.
  • Limited Nurse Involvement: Nurses, as the primary users of EHRs, were often not sufficiently involved in the planning, design, and implementation phases of the SDLC. This lack of input resulted in systems that were not optimally designed for their workflows and needs.
  • Insufficient Training and Support: Many nurses received inadequate training on the new EHR systems, leading to frustration, errors, and decreased efficiency.
  • Lack of Flexibility and Adaptability: Many early EHR systems were inflexible and difficult to customize to meet the specific needs of individual hospitals and clinics.

The experiences of nurses during this period highlight the importance of a user-centered approach to technology implementation. By involving key stakeholders, such as nurses and other healthcare professionals, in all phases of the SDLC, organizations can ensure that EHR systems are effective, efficient, and support rather than hinder patient care.

It’s important to note that the EHR landscape has evolved significantly since the early 2000s. Many of the challenges faced during that time are being addressed through ongoing improvements in technology, user interface design, and interoperability.

This question has been answered.

Get Answer