Nursing Informatics
What is nursing informatics?
Nursing informatics is a nursing specialty that combines nursing science with multiple analytical and informational sciences. Its goal is to define, identify, manage, and communicate information, data, and knowledge within the nursing practice.
Nursing informatics deals with the technology and systems healthcare providers use to deliver patient care. With experience in nursing and information technology, a nursing informaticist provides valuable input on how systems should be designed from a provider standpoint.
Some of the job titles that fall under nursing informatics include:
- Nursing informaticist
- Nursing informatics clinician
- Nursing informatics specialist
- Chief nursing information office
- Clinical nurse informatics specialist
- Perioperative informatics nurse
How does nursing informatics improve healthcare?
This field of nursing helps promote user-friendly, meaningful, and patient-centric innovations that also improve patient outcomes and enhance the clinical workflows followed by healthcare staff.
Some of the roles of the nurse informaticist include:
- Retrieving and reviewing information to improve patient safety
- Improving workflow through information technologies and communication
- Ensuring information systems remain updated
- Contributing to the construction of an interoperable national data infrastructure
- Educating staff on changes to EHRs and EMRs
- Developing information systems based on current standards of care
These roles allow for improved patient outcomes, more efficient clinical processes, telehealth and other technology advances, and patient care coordination.