Nursing Informatics

Imagine a world where health care professionals are digitally linked, able to share information at the touch of a button or the click of a mouse. Imagine an environment where patient information is linked, and nurses have a vast network of support. If you can envision this, you can understand Nursing Informatics.

A specialty of Medical Informatics (also known as eHealth), Nursing Informatics turns ordinary computers into information systems that allow nurses to draw on a huge support system through the magic of the digital age. While Nursing Informatics is really a very broad name for an idea that has not been wholly fleshed out, the most accepted definition comes from the International Medical Informatics Association. This definition, to paraphrase, states that Nursing Informatics is as integration of nursing information processed through communications technology. That means that health care professionals around the world can exchange information through computers, turning ordinary systems into stations for clinical informatics.

Any digital exchange of clinical information between health care professionals, and the integration of that data, could fall under the heading of Nursing Informatics, which is part of a larger eHealth campaign. There is a growing trend in health care for medical professionals and those involved in nursing to “link up,” communicate with each other, and integrate findings into one database that all can access. This exchange of knowledge and information could be the catalyst for providing better health care on a world wide level, and that’s why Nursing Informatics is so important.

Today’s Internet-driven, wireless world makes instant global communication possible, a concept that even one hundred years ago seemed far beyond our capabilities. Global communication is already being used for people to enjoy chatting, gaming, and shopping – so why not use our technology to benefit health care? And, that’s where Nursing Informatics come in. For many, this system could be the answer to a better medical system. Sharing information, diagnoses, and clinical studies with everyone is something that could potentially benefit all. More and more hospitals and medical facilities are already exploring a more digitized database, and linkage with others through Nursing Informatics and other eHealth systems. 

Nursing Informatics is specifically geared to nurses, so they can exchange patient information and find information and records easily. If patient records were conveniently stored in one place that all can access, all nurses might get their jobs done with more ease. Clinical Informatics like this could change the nursing profession for the better, enabling them to give each individual a higher standard of care. And, that’s the magic of modern-day computers.

What is Nursing Informatics? This is an integrated digital system accessed through standard computers that allows nurses to enter and retrieve patient information with ease, then access past patient information more quickly and thoroughly. Instead of wasting time looking for charts and tracking down medical records, those in the nursing professional can do what they do best: care for the sick.  High-tech is entering many other areas of business and daily life…just imagine what it might do for health care.