| Course | NUR 548 Patient Safety, Health Care Quality and Informatics |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Significant learning discussion post with peer reply |
| Length | About 451 words |
| Format | Discussion post with APA 7 citations |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | MS in Nursing |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 548 Module 5
Discussion Forum 5: Data and Technology
Invisible in the Record: Human Factors, Data and the Technology That Could Find Idle IVs
Individual Post
While counting idle catheters by hand, I wondered why our electronic record could not count them for me. This module on data, technology and human factors helped me understand why, and what might change. I have organized my learning under integration, application and caring (Fink, 2013).
Integration. The SEIPS model (Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety) pictures care as a work system of people, tasks, tools and technology, physical surroundings and organization, all interacting to produce processes and outcomes (Carayon et al., 2006). Applying it to idle catheters showed me that the problem is not one nurse's oversight. The person is a busy nurse with five post-surgical patients. The task, deciding whether a catheter is still needed, has no set time. The tool, our electronic record, documents catheter insertion and site checks but does not connect the catheter to the orders that use it. The organization has no owner for catheter removal. Each part makes idle catheters invisible.
Application. Technology could make them visible. First, a line-days display on the patient summary would show how long each catheter has been in place, since longer dwell time raises infection risk (Mermel, 2017). Second, a prompt could appear when the last IV medication or infusion order is discontinued, asking the nurse whether the catheter can be removed. Third, a unit report could list patients with catheters and no active IV orders, supporting the morning huddle question we tested. The same data would let us measure idle catheters automatically rather than counting by hand.
Human factors also warn against adding alerts that interrupt work for little value. The prompt should appear once, at a natural point in the workflow, and offer a one-click removal order rather than a warning. Our informatics nurse thought the report would be easiest to build first.
Caring. Data can feel distant from patients. But behind each line on a report is a person with a needle in their arm and a risk they did not choose. Technology that helps nurses notice is a way of caring at scale. The same tools also protect nurses, who should not have to rely on memory alone to catch a device that no longer serves the patient.
Peer Post
Jasmine, your point that your unit already ignores most sepsis alerts made me rethink my removal prompt. You suggested measuring how often an alert leads to action. I could track the percentage of prompts that end in catheter removal and turn the prompt off if it rarely helps. Did your unit retire any alerts based on that kind of data? I would like to borrow that approach.
References
Carayon, P., Schoofs Hundt, A., Karsh, B.-T., Gurses, A. P., Alvarado, C. J., Smith, M., & Flatley Brennan, P. (2006). Work system design for patient safety: The SEIPS model. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 15(Suppl. 1), i50-i58. https://doi.org/10.1136/qshc.2005.015842
Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses (Rev. ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Mermel, L. A. (2017). Short-term peripheral venous catheter-related bloodstream infections: A systematic review. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 65(10), 1757-1762. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cix562
Reading the NUR 548 Module 5 assignment instructions
The syllabus posted for this term places Discussion Forum 5, Data and Technology, in Course Module 5, with assigned reading and the IHI eLearning lesson on human factors and safety, whose certificate is due the same week. The format is unchanged: a Fink-structured individual post, then a peer post. Questions for this forum usually concern how data and technology, including informatics tools, support or hinder patient safety and quality, and how human factors principles apply to your practice. Canvas spells out the required categories, any reading to cite and the due days for each post. Because the IHI lesson for this week focuses on human factors, posts that apply a named human factors model to their example tend to match the prompt best.
How this NUR 548 Module 5 example is built
The post begins with a practical question that arose from manual data collection, which ties it to earlier forums. The integration section applies a named human factors model component by component to show why the problem is systemic. The application section proposes three technology changes, links one to evidence on dwell time, and applies human factors cautions about alerts. The caring section connects data to individual patients. The peer post adapts the writer's own plan based on a classmate's point about alerts, which shows learning through dialogue. The three proposals move from a display to a prompt to a report, which shows the writer weighing how intrusive each tool would be for busy nurses.
NUR 548 Module 5 rubric: what earns full marks
This forum is usually graded on accurate application of human factors and informatics concepts, a realistic view of how technology can help or harm, Fink-organized reflection backed by sources, and a peer post with real content. Faculty look for posts that analyze the work system rather than blaming individuals, and that recognize the risks of poorly designed alerts. Proposals that also improve data collection show understanding of how technology supports measurement. Peer posts that show the writer changing their thinking are especially valued. Linking technology to measurement, for example using the same report to count a problem automatically, shows the integration across modules that faculty reward.
NUR 548 Module 5 help from the desk
Students often propose an alert as the solution to every problem. Consider reports, displays and workflow changes too, and say how you would avoid alert fatigue. Another weakness is describing technology without a human factors analysis. Use a model such as SEIPS and walk through its parts. Ask your informatics team what is feasible. Keep the caring dimension specific. If you would like help applying human factors to a technology issue on your unit, send us the prompt. Talk with an informatics nurse or analyst before writing if you can, because a proposal that fits your record system reads as far more credible.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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NUR 548 Module 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 548 Module 5 sample paper?
The Discussion Forum 5 sample appears above in full: a SEIPS analysis of why idle IVs are invisible in the record, three technology fixes, a caring reflection, a peer post and references.
What is the SEIPS model?
SEIPS is a human factors model in which people, their tasks and tools, the environment and the organization together shape how care happens and what results.
What is human factors in patient safety?
The study of how people interact with systems, tools and environments, used to design work that makes errors less likely and easier to catch.
How can technology reduce idle IV catheters?
Displays of catheter days, prompts when IV orders stop and reports of catheters without active orders can help nurses notice them.
How do I avoid alert fatigue in a proposal?
Fire prompts rarely and at natural workflow points, make them easy to act on, and measure how often they lead to action.