Nursing Informatics and Computer Applications

Computer and Nursing Terminologies

• Computer refers to Information Technology, synonymous with NIS (Nursing Information Systems), NCA (Nursing Computer Applications), and NI (Nursing Informatics).
• Used to manage information in patient care, monitor quality of nursing care, and evaluate care outcomes.
• Computer networks are used to communicate data via the internet, access resources, and interact with patients on the World Wide Web (WWW).

Nursing Informatics

• Refers to the integration of nursing, its information, and information management with information processing and information technology to support the health of people worldwide (IMIA, 1998).
• A specialty that integrates nursing, computer, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge in nursing practice (ANA, 2006).
• Facilitates the integration of data, information, and knowledge to support patients, nurses, and other providers in their decision-making in all roles and settings.

Clinical Information System

• Refers to a set of components that form the mechanism by which patient records are created, used, stored, and retrieved, usually located within a healthcare provider setting.
• Includes people, data, rules, and procedures, processing and storage devices, communication, and support facilities (IOM, 1991).

Historical Perspectives of Nursing and the Computer

• Computers have helped nearly every industry, including healthcare, to better serve themselves and their clients.
• The ultimate goal of the medical-computer relationship is to allow client records to be viewed by experts across the world via the internet and to have vital information immediately sent to the bedside nurse.

Risks of Computerization in Nursing

• Hacking of client records, posing a major risk to patient privacy.
• Loss of entire client databases due to software viruses or hardware failure.
• Power problems, which can hamper patient care.

Six Time Periods in Nursing Informatics

• 1960s: Introduction of new computer technology, such as Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT); HISs were primarily developed to process financial transactions.
• 1970s: Nurses began to recognize the value of the computer for their profession; nurses assisted in the design of HISs.
• 1980s: NI became an accepted specialty, and many nursing experts entered the field; the need for nursing software evolved.
• Post-2000: Legislation recommended healthcare providers to use Provider Identification Number (PIN).

Four Major Nursing Areas

• Nursing Practice: Integration of NCPs, patient care data, and nursing practice itself as part of the EHR.
• Nursing Administration: Hospital policies and procedure manuals are accessed and retrieved by computers; workload measures, acuity systems, and other nursing department systems are online.
• Nursing Education: Computer-enhanced courses, online courses, and/or distance education; campus-wide computer systems are available for students.
• Nursing Research: Software programs are available for processing both qualitative and quantitative research data; databases supporting nursing research emerged.

Standards Initiatives

• Nursing Practice Standards: ANA contributes to the development and recommendation of standards of nursing practice worldwide.
• Nursing Informatics Scope and Standards of Practice (2008): Builds on clinical practice standards, outlining the importance for implementing standardized content to support nursing practice by NI specialists.
• JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations): Focuses on the need for adequate records on patients in hospitals and practice of standards for the documentation of care by nurses.
• PNA and BON: PNA founded on September 2, 1922, and BON empowered by RA 9173; both organizations focus on standardizing the nursing profession in the Philippines.
• Nursing Data Standards: Nursing terminologies approved by ANA facilitate student-centered instructional settings.
• Confidentiality and Security Standards: Increasing access through electronic capture and exchange of information raised concerns about the privacy and security of personal health information (PHI).

This quiz covers the historical perspectives of nursing and its relationship with computer technology, including information systems and informatics in patient care.