Nursing Informatics Overview

Nursing Informatics

• Nursing informatics bridges clinical care skills with technology, aligning with future healthcare growth through technology for safety, positive outcomes, and patient satisfaction.

Definitions

• Computer: An electronic device for collecting, storing, processing, and retrieving data.
• Data: Raw numbers, characters, or facts gathered for analysis, like vital signs.
• Information: Data interpreted, like a patient's temperature plotted on a graph.
• Knowledge: Combining information from various sources to create concepts or ideas.
• Information Technology: Managing and processing information using computers.
• Informatics: Turning data into information.
• Health Informatics: Applying informatics to all healthcare disciplines.
• Nursing Informatics (NI): Using information and computer technology for all aspects of nursing practice.

Benefits of Nursing Informatics

• Documentation:
  • Complete, accurate patient data.
  • Easily archived and retrievable documentation.
  • Standardized, customizable reporting.
  • Legible records.
  • Reduced errors by promoting more accurate data entry.
  • Enhanced patient privacy and confidentiality.
  • Electronic data storage.
  • Continuous data processing.
• Workflow Improvement:
  • Eliminates redundant documentation.
  • Automates nursing data collection and reuse.
  • Enables analysis of clinical data.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration:
  • Provides access to resources & references for all health professionals.
  • Supports high-quality, evidence-based care.
  • Facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and better service.
  • Enhances communication among physicians, peers, interdisciplinary team members, patients, and families.

Applications of Nursing Informatics

• Nursing Practice:

  • Integral part of electronic health records (EHRs).
  • Documents assessments, interventions, and measures care outcomes.
  • Plans nursing interventions.

• Computerized documentation of discharge instructions, charts

  • Automatic billing processing.
  • Quick access to archived patient data.
  • Online drug information.

• Nursing Administration:

  • Reports on departmental indicators and statistics.
  • Extensive use for planning resources and budgeting.
  • Automated staff scheduling.
  • Online bidding for shifts.
  • Cost analysis, quality assurance, and outcomes analysis.
  • Patient tracing and placement.

• Nursing Education:

  • Educates nursing students and staff.
  • Online registration, scheduling, attendance tracking, testing, and grading.
  • Online access to libraries & publications, presentation software, webcasting, and distance learning.
  • Simulation labs for real-life patient scenarios.
  • Communication with students.

• Nursing Research:

  • Gathers, analyzes, and uses data to improve patient outcomes.
  • Computerized literature searches.
  • Software for data trend analysis.
  • Collaboration with other nurse researchers.
  • Evaluation of nurse-sensitive outcomes.

Role of an Informatics Nurse

• Designs, develops, selects, and evaluates informatics systems.
• Disseminates informatics knowledge to the nursing profession and public.
• Designs, conducts, or supports nursing informatics research.
• Identifies, collects, records, and analyzes patient care data.
• Provides consultations on hardware and software configuration.
• Uses informatics to address clinical and administrative problems.
• Analyzes data to improve nursing services.
• Evaluates ICT applicability to nursing practice, education, administration, and research.
• Applies informatics theory to nursing practice, education, administration, and research.
• Develops policies for patient information privacy, confidentiality, and security.
• Develops and delivers training programs on health information technology.