Question

Compare and contrast two different roles in nursing informatics.

Answer 1

Ans) Nursing informatics is the sub component of informatics pertaining to nurses and nursing care. Healthcare informatics is a broad term for all fields using technology.

- As a nursing informaticist, you'll work with patient data and computer systems. Unlike healthcare informatics, which is focused more on administrative issues, nursing informatics is dedicated to patient care. Many nurse informaticists act as a point of communication between clinical nurses and IT staff.

A registered nurse (RN) may practice in a variety of roles within healthcare organizations regardless if it is government or civilian, inpatient or outpatient. They may also hold non-traditional roles in insurance companies, healthcare device manufacturers, or software application vendors. RNs can practice clinically by providing direct patient care; they can hold management positions; and they can also support clinical nursing and patient care activities, such as the work done by informatics nurses.

There are also a number of different types of nurses in the informatics field. The American Nurses Association's Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice (2008) defines an informatics nurse specialist (INS) as an RN who has been "formally prepared at the graduate level in informatics or a related field," and an informatics nurse (IN) as "a generalist who has informatics experience but does not have graduate level education on the subject (p.2)." Informatics nurses of all levels practice at the intersection of technology and clinical practice. The discipline of nursing informatics is a well-established specialty within nursing, which has grown past the point where nurses simply help IT to design electronic medical record (EMR) screens and choose equipment. Now this role is an "integral part of healthcare delivery and a differentiating factor in the selection, implementation, and evaluation of health IT that supports safe, high quality, patient-centric care." (HIMSS, 2011, p. 1) Consider how much technology is now at the point-of-care. From physiologic monitoring and "smart" IV pumps and beds to electronic medical records (EMRs) and barcoded medication administration, technology is everywhere.
- Informatics nurses working at a healthcare facility may be involved in evaluating and selecting the technology; determining end-user requirements and customizing functionality; and designing and delivering training. In the early days of nursing informatics, our practice was primarily in hospitals, but now we can work in a variety of healthcare settings. Anywhere clinical nurses are found, informatics nurses can also be found.