Nursing Informatics
Nursing informatics is defined by Ball and Hannah, authors of "Using Computers in Nursing," as "those collected informational technologies which concern themselves with the patient care decision-making process performed by health care practitioners." All nurses use informatics. As a defined field, nursing informatics is relatively new, but the work of the nursing informatics specialist is not new at all.
Discovery
Nursing informatics was not discovered so much as it has evolved. Computers and information are used in every area of our lives, including health care. Nurses are the largest group of health care workers. The emergence of nursing informatics as a specialty was inevitable. As early as the 1600s when the first hospitals came into being, nurses used available technology, including the earliest patient monitoring devices, to interpret data and plan patient care.
Groundwork
In the 1800s, mathematical reasoning, early engineering and analytical thinking was ahead of what could physically be manufactured in the world. In the 1930s, the first computers existed but were not yet ready for practical applications. By the 1980s, computers began showing up in hospitals and health care centers for basic use. Lab tests could be ordered by computer and results retrieved. It was no longer necessary for a messenger to carry a written paper result to the patient unit for interpretation. The nurse caring for the patient could look at his lab results and plan care more efficiently.
Education and Specialties
Nursing informatics specialists are required to be registered nurses. At first, nurses learned to use informatics as they worked and as technology dictated. In some settings, this is still the case but some subspecialties have emerged. With them, additional educational opportunities are also available. Nursing schools use computers as part of their curriculum so exposure to some degree of informatics comes with a basic education. Nurse programmers are those who develop computer programs for use by other nurses. Nurses who work as IT support and training of others are another example of a branch of informatics. Some NI specialists work for vendors to demonstrate systems to potential buyers and others manage information and computer systems for whole facilities. The demand for nursing informatics specialists continues to grow.
The Future
Health care changes rapidly. Nursing informatics will watch the climate for parallel change, paying attention to population demographics and to emergent technology to adapt as needs dictate.
In the 1800s, mathematical reasoning, early engineering and analytical thinking was ahead of what could physically be manufactured in the world. In the 1930s, the first computers existed but were not yet ready for practical applications. By the 1980s, computers began showing up in hospitals and health care centers for basic use. Lab tests could be ordered by computer and results retrieved. It was no longer necessary for a messenger to carry a written paper result to the patient unit for interpretation. The nurse caring for the patient could look at his lab results and plan care more efficiently.
Education and Specialties
Nursing informatics specialists are required to be registered nurses. At first, nurses learned to use informatics as they worked and as technology dictated. In some settings, this is still the case but some subspecialties have emerged. With them, additional educational opportunities are also available. Nursing schools use computers as part of their curriculum so exposure to some degree of informatics comes with a basic education. Nurse programmers are those who develop computer programs for use by other nurses. Nurses who work as IT support and training of others are another example of a branch of informatics. Some NI specialists work for vendors to demonstrate systems to potential buyers and others manage information and computer systems for whole facilities. The demand for nursing informatics specialists continues to grow.
The Future
Health care changes rapidly. Nursing informatics will watch the climate for parallel change, paying attention to population demographics and to emergent technology to adapt as needs dictate.
