Nursing Informatics: ICT Integration in Healthcare Practice

Introduction

With the advent and increased use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the workplace, it is inevitable that ICTs will become an integral part of every individual's professional life. The integration of ICTs in the conduct of everyday tasks and operations has altered the manner in which those operations are accomplished, ideally increasing efficiency and productivity in terms of output and service delivery.

The nursing profession is one of the service sectors that has been gradually evolving to incorporate ICTs — not only in providing healthcare services for patients, but also in promoting research and development in the medical field. The integration of ICTs in nursing practice has the potential to improve healthcare provision and efficiency while opening new venues for expanded research and study in nursing science.

This paper discusses the role of informatics and ICTs in the field of nursing as a medical profession. The central argument is that, for an ideal and efficient nursing informatics operation, two important objectives must be met: (1) to improve efficiency in handling healthcare services to patients through the use of informatics systems, and (2) to increase nurses' capacity to engage in research and study aimed at developing nursing both as a science and a medical practice. In the sections that follow, these objectives are discussed thoroughly in relation to the implementation of an effective informatics system in the nursing workplace.

Barriers to ICT Integration in Nursing

Implementing the integration of ICTs in the provision of healthcare services is, as has been the case in other professions, a daunting task for nurses and hospital or clinic administrators. Beyond the challenge of adjusting to new technology, management must also contend with some nurses' non-receptive attitudes toward ICTs. Because nursing is grounded heavily in hands-on skills and direct patient service, the inclusion of ICTs is sometimes perceived as an intrusion — or even an impediment — to professional practice.

Adding to this challenge is the significant cost of digitizing healthcare services and implementing database management infrastructure, estimated at approximately $652 million over a ten-year period of implementation (HFM, 2006, p. 16). These financial and cultural barriers represent the primary obstacles that healthcare organizations must address before health information technology can be successfully integrated into nursing workflows.

Efficiency Gains Through Database Management

Young (2002) pointed out the increased efficiency in healthcare servicing that database management can bring to the nursing profession. The author noted that a database or informatics system in the workplace can lead to greater information disclosure, whereby management, patients, and nurses alike are better informed about the quality of care and the performance of nurses in delivering healthcare services. The inclusion of a database system supports efficiency by allowing management and nursing staff to monitor daily tasks completed and services rendered to patients, while ensuring that all members of the organization are kept informed of proper service standards within the institution.

Stakeholders and constituents would also become more informed about the medical institution's daily operations, enabling them to provide useful and constructive input for the continued improvement of healthcare services (Young, 2002, p. 122). In this way, nursing informatics functions not only as an administrative tool, but as a mechanism for organizational accountability and continuous quality improvement.

Conclusion

With these efficiencies in terms of storing and retrieving data and patient cases — both for research and administrative uses — informatics and the establishment of database systems in the medical workplace will help pave the way for improvement in quality nursing care and healthcare service. Beyond operational benefits, such systems stand to improve nurses' skills and knowledge in the field of nursing science and research, fulfilling both objectives outlined in the thesis and positioning informatics as a cornerstone of modern nursing practice.