Nursing Informatics Competencies in Staff and Patient Education

Introduction to Nursing Informatics

Nursing informatics (NI) is a field specialty that blends and integrates nursing, computer, and information sciences in managing and transferring information and insights in nursing (Anderson, 2008; Coleman et al., 2010). It is aimed at assisting in the decision-making functions of patients, nurses, and other participants in patient care through information structures, processes, and technology. Nurses who integrate this specialty into their regular practice are called nurse informaticists. They are expert nursing clinicians with extensive clinical practice and additional technology- and information-related knowledge and experience. With the infusion of this specialty, they expand their competencies, which include administration, leadership and management; analysis; compliance and integrity management; consultation; coordination, facilitation, and integration; development; educational and professional development; policy development and advocacy; and research and evaluation (Anderson, 2008; Coleman et al., 2010).

The selected functional area for this discussion is staff and patient education. This area can be developed within a healthcare environment that supports nurses as care coordinators across disciplines and as advocates with patients and their families (Anderson, 2008). The findings of a Delphi study (Staggers et al., 2002) revealed four levels of informatics competencies for nurses working in this functional area.

Informatics Competencies for Staff and Patient Education

Level 1 is for beginning nurses, who use information management technologies pertinent to patient education — such as tools for instruction, education, and evaluation of outcomes and resources. Level 2 is for experienced nurses, who use informatics to develop testing materials, assist with curriculum planning, and employ technology as a teaching tool. Level 3 is for informatics specialists, who implement and evaluate applications or programs; plan and develop them; construct guidelines for the purchase of software and hardware; collaborate with practicing nurses, nurse administrators, and nurse researchers in developing new computer competencies; teach clients about effective uses of these applications and systems; and serve as resource persons for those systems (Staggers et al., 2002).

Nursing informatics will help transform healthcare delivery through leadership, education, practice, and policy (Anderson, 2008). Specifically in the area of education, nurse informaticists can contribute to the transformation of nursing education by incorporating informatics competencies and appropriate behaviors at all levels of academic preparation and continuing education (Anderson, 2008). Their educator competencies can function as professional process components of peer input, self-evaluation, and portfolio development (Johnson, 2002). Portfolio development documents accomplishments for the organization and serves as a strategy for positioning nurse staff educators to meet increasing healthcare demands while simultaneously demonstrating leadership in the profession (Johnson, 2002).

Core competencies of nurse educators include the facilitation of learning and socialization; the use of assessment and evaluation strategies; participation in curriculum design and evaluation of program outcomes; serving as change agents and leaders; pursuing continuous quality improvement in their role; acquiring scholarly knowledge; and functioning effectively within an educational environment (Brunt, 2007).

Patient Simulation as an Instructional Methodology

In the area of patient education, nurse informaticists can apply an instructional methodology known as patient simulation (Durham & Alden, 2008). This methodology is preferred because it eliminates risk to live patients, allows for standardization of cases, promotes critical thinking, supports clinical decision-making and psychomotor skill development, provides immediate feedback, and facilitates the integration of knowledge and behavior. Patient simulation also emphasizes the prevention of medical errors, promotes effective communication, and enhances teamwork (Durham & Alden, 2008).