The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) defines nursing informatics as “the specialty that integrates nursing science with multiple information and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage and communicate data, information, knowledge and wisdom in nursing practice” (What Is Nursing Informatics?, 2019). From this definition, it can be deduced that nursing work is presently executed around technology. Therefore, nurses need to be well educated on nursing informatics in order to improve outcomes and optimize the benefits of information technology.
Nursing informatics is more than data analysis and collection in today’s practice. It empowers nurses to make data-informed decisions in delivery of care, skills, and generally contributes to a knowledgeable workforce that can coordinate multifaceted technology operations with regard to patient safety and care (Darvish et al., 2014). As the field is based on the implementation of best practices to achieve the best patient outcomes, nurses with skills in this sector are more capable of delivering value-based care compared to those without.
Nursing informatics can help reduce the possibility of medical errors in healthcare facilities, which means that it can help reduce costs associated with medical errors. Importantly, proper training and improvement of processes improves quality of care (Mehta & Pandit, 2018). Some of the areas that are improved by nursing informatics include communication, information sharing, and verification of facts. Ass these areas have been shown to be primary factors in medical errors. Moreover, nursing informatics allows for the improvement of end-to-end treatment, which means that it is easier to create and coordinate protocols of interdepartmental interactions. This helps drive efficiency in healthcare, and treatment plans become more effective.
Undoubtedly, project management aligns seamlessly with technology, and the structural integrity of projects deployed under the same field need to be considered in order to achieve the best outcomes. Thus, nursing informatics can be equated to an organizational framework and thought process. For instance, there are different levels of involvement in a patient’s treatment plan, from the doctor to nurses and lab technicians. For all these individuals to cooperate, they must adhere to a framework and probably follow a protocol engagement. With this approach, healthcare organizations should be able to provide the best value possible.
