Nurse Knowledge Discovery and Nursing Informatics the Future of Healthcare

Decision Support System

ONE (a) -- how do you decide who should be in the selection process?

The decision as to who will be part of the selection process should be made based on how interested each person is in terms of establishing a strategy and system for increasing knowledge that can become part of an informatics. It should also be made based on a person's availability, a person's ability to transition into new nursing fields, and the competency when it comes to statistics and data. The selection should take into consideration persons who have proven competency at patient centered care.

Should a consumer or patient be included? Certainly a consumer who is knowledgeable and interested should be included, and if possible a patient should also be included in the selection process. Nurses are knowledge workers and that knowledge also means keeping an open mind when it comes to other opinions and other perspectives while in a clinical setting. Hence, bringing in a consumer trained in IT matters is a smart move, and patients that are trained in technological skills should also be considered as part of the team.

What are the most important selection criteria and why? Where would you compromise and why? A knowledge discovery project should bring people on board that are not only competent in data quality in clinical settings but in evidence-based practices including research skills and people-to-people skills. I would resist compromising just for the sake of compromising in order to complete the selection process. I would agree to involve other nurses in the selection process of course. And if it comes to a matter of one talented potential member versus another talented potential member -- and it is a toss-up as to which candidate truly is prepared for the task ahead and I trust the judgment of the nurse what is promoting a person I don't know -- then a compromise is logical and reasonable.

Other important considerations in the selection process include: a) Is the candidate experienced when it comes to assessing the quality of care? b) Has the candidate shown a willingness to devote the time, the effort, and the competence within a group dynamic to integrate new, emerging technologies into an existing system? c) Partnerships where professionals work hand-in-glove with each other are vital, and hence, the criteria for selection must include reviewing the candidate's previous history of working well when it comes to diversity and ethnic / age-related differences.

What considerations would assure the technology enhances patient-centric workflow?

Since human factors always enter into the picture -- one person may be head and shoulders above another when it comes to understanding computers and knowing the ins and outs of data gathering -- the nurse or technician most noted for working with great care and empathy in a patient-center environment should be given consideration first. The technologies that pertain to informatics are constantly changing (being updated); hence new software must be frequently and seamlessly integrated into the existing system. And as a result it is mandatory for those in leadership positions of the interdisciplinary team that they provide additional technology training in order to enhance the benefits for patients.