by: Calicoy, Rechel S. BSN II - QOA
Sombise, Janen BSN II - QOA
Nursing Informatics is not new, but it certainly is NOW! Technology is dramatically altering the ways in which we diagnose, treat, care for and manage patients. It is our past and it is our present.
The field of nursing informatics integrates nursing science and technology with practical, bedside nursing. It is similar to health information technology, but on a higher administrative level. These specialized nurses manage communications data via advanced technology. These nursing informatics professionals are transforming the health care industry by way of disseminating critical information to students and educators, physicians, patients, healthcare administrators, researchers and clinicians, as well as upper management policy makers. Most informatics nurse practitioners as well as informatics nurse professionals use skills which draw on their medical skills and clinical experience. These well-organized professionals utilize their nursing skills to facilitate informatics communication and understanding.
Nursing Informatics combines clinical knowledge with information technology to improve the ways in which we diagnose, treat, care for and manage patients. In essence, Informatics nurses support, change, expand, and transform nursing practice through the design and implementation of information technology. It participates in multidisciplinary strategic planning to determine system solutions that support patient care, set standards for clinical applications, conform to accreditation standards and regulatory requirements and transform clinical practice The American Nurses Association defines Nursing Informatics Practice as “a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge and wisdom in nursing practice.” For example, a Nursing informatics Specialist might integrate data, information, and clinical knowledge in order to ensure better nurse staffing based upon patient acuity levels to enhance the quality of patient care and outcomes.
Informatics nurses help design new tools that help clinicians to practice, nurse educators to teach, nursing students, nurse researchers to investigate, policymakers to deliberate, and consumers to manage their own health. In all these ways, Informatics Nurses strive “to improve the health of populations, communities, families, and individuals by optimizing information management and communication. Technology and the effective use of it – is our future. The future of nursing and Nursing Informatics is in alignment with the future of health care – growth in the use of technology to ensure safety, positive outcomes and satisfaction of patients. Nursing is at the forefront of this wave of technology innovation.
The future of nursing informatics has a very bright future in my opinion. There are many endless opportunities in this field of nursing informatics. I think this area has been advanced through many of the nurses who embrace informatics and what it has to offer. As I say this though, it leads to the very topic that I would like to discuss in this blog about nursing informatics. The topic of how nursing as a profession can embrace technology better in the future is a very important issue to be discussed for the future of nursing informatics.
Nursing, as a whole, has embraced the advances in health care technology over the years and is successfully transitioning at the fast pace these changes are occurring. Going from paper charting to electronic health records is a perfect example of this transition. Many nurses were skeptical at first, but this change was made successfully. This is only the beginning though, think of all the changes that are to come in the future. There are already many updates and changes that are being made to computerized charting, but we should take these changes in stride and learn to adapt. This idea of adapting to and embracing the advances and changes in technology is a very important one if our future of nursing informatics is to be successful. We as nurses must not just “deal” with these changes, but must be active participants in how we can keep these advances coming to better our nursing future. Many nurses are already doing this, but all of us as a collective entity must strive for advancing our future in informatics.
So how can we as the nursing profession be active leaders in furthering our future in informatics and technology? One way is to participate in the current technologies that are available to nursing. For example, on twitter there is a nursing chat called “RNchat” that brings together nurses from all over the world to discuss current issues in nursing and allows for different nurses from different work environments to share their thoughts and ideas. This is a great way to allow for communication between nursing professionals all over the world. This is just one way that technology has further advanced the nursing profession.
Another way we can embrace technology better in the future is to research what is currently happening in the world of nursing informatics and technology. Being aware and knowledgeable of up-to-date information about technology in nursing is essential in order to be able to contribute anything to the future of nursing technology.
The main points to come away with from this discussion is that the nursing profession must be an advocate for the future of nursing technology. We must research current topics of this field and be aware of changes that are to come. We must also be active participants in nursing informatics so that we can share these excellent technologies with everyone to help expand this field in nursing. I feel these are the best ways that we as nursing professionals can embrace technology better in our future. So go and share your nursing informatics knowledge with your fellow nursing professionals, be an advocate, and further the future of technology in nursing!