A Formative Program Evaluation of Electronic Clinical Tracking System Documentation to Meet National Core...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Electronic clinical tracking systems are vital for documenting advanced practice registered nursing (APRN) students' clinical experiences in higher education.
• National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) core competencies guide the evaluation of APRN programs.
• Previous research has not assessed the efficacy of electronic systems in validating students' clinical experiences against national competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Medatrax electronic clinical tracking system using a formative program evaluation approach.
• To determine if student clinical documentation within Medatrax aligns with Family/Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner Competencies.
• To assess the system's utility in meeting accreditation and program outcome goals for a midsouthern family nurse practitioner program.

Main Methods:

• A formative program evaluation methodology was employed.
• The Medatrax system was analyzed for its effectiveness in tracking and documenting student clinical experiences.
• Student documentation was compared against the NONPF Family/Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner Competencies.

Main Results:

• The formative evaluation supported the use of the electronic clinical tracking system.
• The system demonstrated potential in facilitating the documentation of clinical experiences relevant to core competencies.
• The study provided evidence for the system's role in supporting accreditation and program goals.

Conclusions:

• Electronic clinical tracking systems can effectively support APRN programs in meeting national core competencies.
• The Medatrax system shows promise as a tool for validating student clinical experiences and aiding program evaluation.
• This study offers novel evidence supporting the integration of electronic tracking systems in nursing education for accreditation and outcome achievement.