Article Summary

Why Nurses Need to Understand Nursing Informatics

Debra Kendrick

Jacksonville University

 

 

 

 

Article Summary

Nursing Informatics is a new nursing specialty.  It can be viewed as a bridge, a bridge that takes nursing as an art to nursing as a science.   The authors tell us that it effects the profession of nursing in many ways.  It affects how we learn and acquire new knowledge, increases the ability to work inter-collaboratively with other healthcare professionals, and when used in the patient care settings can lead to increased patient satisfaction and better outcomes.  In other words, nursing informatics can affect all levels of nursing practice. They describe nursing informatics as “the practice of using nursing science and technology to enhance the pathway that data takes to become knowledge to improve patient care”. ( McGonigle, Hunter, Sipes, & Hebna, 2014)   The authors give a definition, but this definition is everchanging as advances are made in nursing practice and technology.

Nursing Informatics is important to all nursing specialties. (McGonigle et al, 2014) Emphasis is placed on nurses to understand how important nursing informatics has on their practice areas such that it is now included in baccalaureate and master’s nursing education.  There is discussion of how all areas of nursing is impacted by nursing informatics. The data, information, knowledge and wisdom pathway is explained and how nurses can use the data and convert it into wisdom which leads to better care for their patients.

 

Reference:

McGonigle, D., Hunter, K., Sipes, C., & Hebda, T. (2014). Why nurses need to understand nursing informatics. AORN Journal, 100(3), 324-327. Retrieved from https://web-b-ebscohost-com.ju.idm.oclc.org