Nursing informatics has been defined as, "a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice" (Shuler, 2011). The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model used in project management that describes the stages involved in the information system development, from a feasibility study to the maintenance of the completed system (Rouse, 2009). With these two definitions in mind, the nursing informaticist plays a vital role in the development of the healthcare information system that incorporates the quality of care and safety outcomes of patients as well as the affect the system plays on effective decision making processes.
The most frustrating elements and challenges has involved poor integration and/or interoperability, regular system failures, limited access to information and applications, and the lack of training (Tietz, 2008). A key concept is the transformation of data to knowledge. Data is the discrete entities described objectively without interpretation. It becomes information after it is interpreted, organized, and structured. Information becomes knowledge after being synthesized so that relationships are identified and formalized. Each level increases in complexity and requires greater intellect.
Some of the roles of the nursing informaticist include consumer advocate, project manager, educator, product developer, decision support/outcomes manager, systems analyst, consultant, programmer, advocate/policy developer, web developer, CIO, CEO, CNO, entrepreneur, researcher, or sales and marketing. Depending on the organizational requirements, the position may encompass any of the roles or any combination of the roles. The primary goal of the position is to improve patient care delivery and the nursing practice experience. The major component standards involve problem identification, alternative (or solution) identification, alternative (or solution) development,...
This requires expert analytical and critical thinking skills, understanding patient care delivery workflow and integration points for automated documentation, experience in utilizing and implementing nursing processes, and excellent project managerial skills (Nursing Informatics 101, 2012).
In SDLC, team members are held accountable for the quality and success of the end project and must work together, understanding strengths and skills of other members, which includes the nurse informaticist (Rouse, Whole-team approach (team-based approach), 2011). This means the nurse informaticist takes apart in the accountability of implementations, usability, change requests, and operability of the system (Staggers, Fall 2013). When the information system development is coupled with delivery of quality of care, patient safety, and the nursing experience, a number of factors play a part that involves the nurse informaticist role.
A good illustration would be with the elderly population as a primary target of a project. The aging process brings thinning skin as well as other illness and conditions. As conditions arise, elders may become less active, increasing risk of pressure ulcers. Standardized pressure ulcer risk assessment and guidelines are usually in paper format, do not describe sufficiency among all patients, and cause difficulty for nurses at the point of care in delivery of care in a timely manner (Choi, Feb 2013). A decision support system can be implemented in the EHR to provide clear defining tasks and recommendations from a clinical practice guideline and perspective. The implementation would require iterative processes of knowledge from the nurse informaticist, modification from the whole team, and validation of the system. The nurse informaticist could implement patient specific recommendations to cover a broader range of skin conditions concerning pressure ulcers. The nurse informaticist plays a role on the team in defining the processes…
