Vision on Nusing Informatics

Running head : VISION ON NURSING INFORMATICS Vision on Nursing Informatics

[The name of the writer appears here]

[The name of the institution appears here]

Nursing informatics is not about the use of computers , it is not about the use of gadgets or use of technology . It is about the use of this technology to manage information in the most efficient way . Thus nursing information management requires the use of the tools provided by the latest technology and the advantages associated with it

The phrase 'informatics ' was coined in the 1970s from

the French term informatique , to refer to the computer milieu . It was used to emphasize the computer processing of data and information , whereas nursing data processed by the computer was referred to as nursing informatics . The term 'nursing informatics , was originated by Scholes Barber in 1980 (Scholes et al . 1983 . Nursing informatics also refers to computer technology as well as a computer system used to process (transform input data into output information (Saba Saba 2001

Nursing informatics is a nursing specialty that was approved in 1992 by the American Nurses Association (ANA 1995 ) It encompasses (Saba Saba 2001

computer science (the hardware , including communication capabilities

information science (the software , and

nursing science , which encompasses a nursing theory such as the nursing process , a nursing model , and a nursing vocabulary such as the Home Health Care Classification (HHCC ) system (Saba McCormick 2001

Nursing informatics has been defined by several experts . Saba McCormick (2001 ,

. 226 ) describe it as

The use of technology and /or a computer system to . process . 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

The following is a of the use of tools and how nursing informatics is being implemented (Abrahamsen , 2003

Personal data assistants : Personal data assistants (PDAs ) have grown from simple organizers to detailed methods of accessing health care databases and programs . These applications check for drug interactions calculate dosages , analyze lab results , schedule procedures prescriptions , and automate other clinical tasks , reducing the potential for dangerous errors . Software companies continue to develop applications specifically for nursing . Practitioners can have the latest information and warnings at their fingertips , often with automatic updates . The method of access varies as much as the technology itself--some companies offer updates as a subscription service , while others offer free updates via Internet download (Abrahamsen , 2003

Electronic medical records : Despite decades and millions of dollars invested in electronic medical record (EMR ) research and development only about 5 of U .S . hospitals have fully integrated EMR systems (Abrahamsen , 2003 ) The problem for most organizations revolves around integrating devices and products that aren 't compatible . Often , part of the patient record exists electronically , but the rest of it remains on hard copy . Organizations should strive to fully integrate all hard documents into a computerized record , as the method employed...