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NURS 4006Nursing Informatics

Computers, Information and Informatics

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The importance of informationThe importance of information

• The healthcare of our clients is largely dependant on information.

• Every action taken depends on previous information and knowledge.

• The delivery of health care requires information about:– Science of type of care (nursing)– Patient or client– Provider– Outcomes– Process and systems for delivery of care

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The science of type of care (nursing)• The “science of care” refers to the scientific

foundations of the profession that provides healthcare.

• Science helps determine the body of knowledge, language, and focus of that profession.

• Scientific rationale or evidence provides a foundation for decision-making within that profession.

The importance of informationThe importance of information

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Patient or client• Information on the client is required for his/her

individual care.• The assessment process consists of gathering

information.• The use of technology can assist in collecting this

information.• Information on the client can be found in the

patient record, the patient’s history, lab results.• Information on the client changes and grows over

time.

The importance of informationThe importance of information

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Provider• Information about the provider of care helps

determine the type of assessment and the focus of care given.

• The provider can be an individual professional such as a nurse, a physician, a physiotherapist.

• The provider can also be the facility in which care is provided such as a public health unit, a hospital.

The importance of informationThe importance of information

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Outcomes• The outcome of treatment and care now requires

more attention than ever.• There is a growing interest in ensuring that care

results in quality outcomes in a cost-efficient manner.

• Outcomes can be difficult to measure. • Technology can assist in measuring because it

can enhance gathering, analysis and dissemination of outcomes.

The importance of informationThe importance of information

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Process and systems for delivery of care• Information about the process and systems for

delivery of care assists in deciding on the type and the amount of care required.

• This is the tracking on interventions and the process used for each intervention.

The importance of informationThe importance of information

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• Information about each of these areas have an impact on the type and the amount of care given.

• Information must be:accurate timely accessible understandable

The importance of informationThe importance of information

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What is information?What is information?

The structure of information

• Delivered in conversation, handwritten notes, stored in a computer.

• Regardless of the form, the same basic principles apply to the structure and the use of information.

• Words are often used interchangeably to describe information.

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What is information?What is information?

The structure of information• Data: discrete entities objectively described,

without interpretation or context. – Example: 110

• Information: data processed into a structured form. Data that are interpreted, organized, structured and given meaning are referred to as information. – Example: When combining 110 with other data, it

becomes information. Systolic blood pressure of 110 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure of 70 mm Hg. This information can be captured in a form, on a graph on in a report.

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• Knowledge: synthesized information derived from the interpretation of data. It provides a logical basis for making decisions.Essential to decision-making and to new discoveries.– Example: When the blood pressure reading is

combined with information about anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, knowledge is used to decide about further care and treatment.

What is information?What is information?

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The five rights of informationThe five rights of information

Information has five rights:Right informationRight personRight timeRight placeRight amount

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What is healthcare informatics?What is healthcare informatics?

• With the knowledge of the importance of information in healthcare, healthcare informatics has become a specialty.

• Healthcare informatics is a combination of computer science, healthcare science, information science and cognitive science.

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• Computer science: development, configuration, architecture of computer hardware and software.

• Healthcare science: body of knowledge on which healthcare profession bases their practice. The sciences of anatomy, physiology and knowledge specific to each profession.

• Information science: also includes information technology which involves the process of sending and receiving information.

• Cognitive science: the process of human thinking, understanding and remembering.

What is healthcare informatics?What is healthcare informatics?

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“Nursing Informatics (NI) is the application of computer science and information science to nursing. NI promotes the generation, management and processing of relevant data in order to use information and develop knowledge that supports nursing in all practice domains” (Hebert, 2000).

What is Nursing informatics (NI)?What is Nursing informatics (NI)?

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Nursing Informatics

“Integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge in nursing practice”.

Nursing informatics facilitates the integration of data, information, and knowledge to support clients, nurses, and other providers in their decision-making in all roles and settings."  

   (Staggers & Bagley-Thompson, 2002).

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Why is it important?Why is it important?

• Nurses need to develop competencies in informatics.

• Informatics enables nurses to use information and communications technologies in the:– collection of data,– use of information– generation of knowledge to

support nursing practice

Nursing

Technology

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Why is it important?Why is it important?

Therefore, NI competencies need to include both knowledge and skills required:

to use information and communication technologies to enter, retrieve and manipulate data.

to interpret and organize data into information to affect nursing practice.

to combine information to contribute to knowledge development in nursing.

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Using informationUsing information

• Evidence-based practice leads to:– Determining standards and guidelines– Guide for decision-making process– Determines best practice

• Nursing informatics can enable dissemination of new knowledge. – Practitioners update themselves of new developments

through journals, conferences, continuing education sessions.

– The information is varied and copious.– There is a need to find the relevant evidence in a timely

way.

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Literature databasesLiterature databases

• Provide access to relevant literature and are an important research source.

• Usually cover a specific list of periodicals or other publications that give the database defined boundaries.

• Usually specific to one field such as healthcare, social sciences, education.

• The database may be limited to research articles or may include newspaper clippings, magazine articles.

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Literature databasesLiterature databases

• A database provides a controlled, specific and systematic way of finding relevant information on a specific topic.

• Each entry in a database usually contains an article citation, subject heading and a text summary known as the abstract.

• It may include the name of the author(s) and the full text of the article.

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Obstacles to using informationObstacles to using information

• There is a need to further emphasize on the importance of evidence-based practice.

• There is a need for convenient access to literature resources.

• Education to use technology to access and retrieve information relevant to clinical practice.

• There is a need to instill a information-seeking modeling behavior.

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ReferencesReferences

Canadian Nurses Association. (2001). What is nursing informatics and why is it so important? Nursing Now, 11

Hebert, M. (2000). A national education strategy to develop nursing informatics competencies. Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership 13(2).

Staggers, N., & Bagley Thompson, C. (2002). The evolution of definitions for nursing informatics: A critical analysis and revised definition. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 9 (3), 255 – 262.

Young, K. M. (2000). Informatics for healthcare professionals. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.