Nursing Informatics
Initial thoughts on “informatics”…
In all honesty, when initially coming across the word “informatics” in the current course called Nursing Informatics, I simply associated this to the use of information in some way or another, with of course the focus being related to nursing. Specifically, the notion of informatics in nursing meant the use of technology to record, share, and analyze data in conjunction with providing care to patients. In 2019, the use of technology in healthcare has become more significant. It is even surprising to learn that some healthcare facilities still use paper documentation to maintain patient records. So, what exactly is nursing informatics?
What is Nursing Informatics?
After further research, informatics is much more than the use of information technology. Informatics is the study of the structure, behaviour, and interactions of natural and engineered computational systems (The University of Edinburgh, n.d.). Nursing informatics then, as defined by Staggers and Thompson (2002), is the use of technology such as computers to collect, store, process, display, retrieve, and communicate timely data and information in and across health care facilities that administer nursing services and resources, manage the delivery of patient and nursing care, link research resources and findings to nursing practice, and apply educational resources to nursing education (p.256). In simpler terms, nursing informatics is the science of taking information and technology and understanding how it integrates to support the practice of nursing in all its aspects (Stagger & Thompson, 2002). According to the Canadian Nurses Association (2019), the goal of nursing informatics is to improve the health of people and communities while reducing costs. Of course, there is no doubt that a handful of benefits comes with informatics in nursing, but with anything else, there is anticipated disadvantages that should also be considered which may be discussed in a later blog.
Thoughts on Nursing Informatics
In terms of the discipline of Nursing Informatics, this personally is also new to me. Although there is much more to learn about this discipline, the significance of its role in our current healthcare as well as in future is undeniable. As mentioned before, our healthcare system has become technologically advanced and it will only grow in complexity, alongside patient health and treatment, and other essential healthcare services. From personal experience with using technology in healthcare, the benefit of nursing informatics varies, but there remain gaps that need to be addressed to make use of the information effectively. Therefore, to put focus on the study of nursing informatics is vital in ensuring its effectiveness.
The following video briefly describes the profession of nursing informatics:
References:
Canadian Nurses Association. (2019). Nursing informatics. Retrieved from https://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/nursing-practice/the-practice-of-nursing/nursing-informatics
Staggers, N., & Thompson, C.B. (2002). The evolution of definitions for nursing informatics: A critical analysis and revised definition. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 9(3), 255-261. Doi: 10.1197/jamia.M0946. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC344585/
The University if Edinburgh. (n.d.). What is informatics? Retrieved from https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/what20is20informatics.pdf
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