The Evolution of Nursing Informatics in the Healthcare Industry

Informatics is the science of processing data (Collins English Dictionary). Nursing informatics is defined by the American Nursing Association as “a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice” (ANA, 2008). Technology in the workplace has become one of the most talked about trends in nursing from the mid 1990’s to now as the technology nurses see on the unit and in the community rapidly changes and grows even daily. Various technologies encompassing nursing informatics are computer-based schedule system to assign staff; patient safety tracking; helping patients use a device to partake in a research project; handheld computer for educating patients; using online learning in nursing education; use of a hospital information system; finding and using research on an online network. Technology has evolved with the nursing practice from hand written charting in a patients chart to tick charting on a computer system; nursing documentation has evolved along with how nurses receive and retrieve current information from the patients. Technology helps our systems grow from one unit seeing patient information to the goal of one country accessing the same database to provide continuity of care for each patient. “By the late 1980s, most hospitals had at least a rudimentary information system that required nurses to enter common data such as admission profiles and basic care requirements like diet, medications, and treatments into a computer as part of their routine duties“ (Kwantlen University, 2011). Every day, nurses are learning new and interesting ways to do their job; convey the information and care for their patie...

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