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Information systems and nursing |
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The development and implementation of information systems (IS) has not been incorporated into health care with the same vigor that it has in other industries. Over the past 35 years, there has been remarkable progress in the use of computer technology in health care, but the routine utilization of IT by practicing nurses is still awaiting full realization. |
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| It is suggested that as IS become fully implemented, the impact will be seen in all facets of nursing practice. Computers are viewed as potential assets for patient care. Therefore, it is important that the veracity of this belief be determined. Knowledge is available on how to apply information technology in many health care situations; however, there must be critical evaluation of what is being done with this knowledge in practical situations. [Top] | ||||||||||
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Nursing
personnel are the primary users of IS
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Nursing personnel provide most of the patient care within health care organizations and typically are the primary users of the IS. Therefore, the IS should enhance the productivity and performance of this group of workers. Healthcare administrators are concerned not only with the delivery of quality patient care, but with more efficient use of nursing skills and resources. [Top] | |||||||||
| Nursing's IT requirements are very different from other domains. These differences create special problems. In health care, many of the important informational processes (i.e., discussing, describing or recording the properties or behaviors of humans) can be defined as higher-level processes. Efforts to use computers to analyze these high-level objects create formidable problems. [Top] | ||||||||||
07/15/00