Drastic technological changes continue to encompass the nature and extent of communication and information technology use in nursing worldwide. As a result, an increase of day to day computer skills and the implementation of informatics into formal nursing curriculum are needed to improve the nurses' competency in managing and using healthcare information. According to Hart, (2008), establishing a baseline of informatics competencies in the existing workforce is vital to forecasting and planning for growth in an expanding electronic healthcare delivery era.
Healthcare leaders must not only be able to adopt and implement the electronic health records (EHR) but also other health information technologies (HIT). According to Westra & Delaney (2008), healthcare organizations are beginning to emphasize the need for informatics competencies appropriate for leadership roles.
The TIGER initiative (Technology Informatics Guiding Education) pointed out that all nurses in every role must be prepared to make Health Informatics Technology the eyes and ears of the future (Westra & Delaney, 2008). Being competent in informatics helps facilitate the advancement of evidence-based practice and effective utilization of electronic medical record systems and related technologies (Hart, 2008)
Competencies
-TIGER
-QSEN
-AACN
Click on the link to learn more about Health Informatics Technology
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/special/healthit/
References
Hart, MD, (2008). Informatics Competency and development within the US nursing population workforce. computer, Informatics, Nursing
Hwang, J & Park,H (2011). Factors Associated with Nurses' Informatics Competency. Computers, Informatics, Nursing, (29)4
Westra, B.L., & Delaney , C.W. (2008). Informatics Competencies for Nursing and Healthcare Leaders. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, 804-808
Health Informatics technology. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/special/healthit/Health Informatics Technology
