The Roles of Nurse Informaticists

Just as the Internet and other technological innovations have radically changed the world, the constant evolution of informatics continues to transform nursing and health care.  The nurse is at the forefront of this transformation, serving as a knowledgeable leader in system development, implementation, and management. As new technologies become integrated into health care settings, the role of the nurse informaticist will continue to become more critical.

For this Discussion, you examine the informatics roles that have evolved to facilitate this transformation. You consider different functional roles and responsibilities that nurse informaticists may fulfil and how they contribute to technological progress throughout the health care field.

Readings

• American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.Read the following Chapter:
  • “Functional Areas for Nursing Informatics”This section details nine distinct functional areas that nurse informaticists often fulfill in their various job titles and specific positions. These functional areas include administration, analysis, integrity management, consultation, and others.
• Saba, V. K., & McCormick, K. A. (2015). Essentials of nursing informatics (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
  • Chapter 48, “Information Literacy and Computerized Information Resources”In this chapter, the authors focus on electronic sources that are easily accessible to nurses and how vital they are to professional credibility and growth. They elaborate on three main points: staying up-to-date with the published literature, developing and maintaining a list of resources, and collaborating and networking with your colleagues.
• Ericksen, A. B. (2009). Informatics: The future of nursing. RN, 72(7), 34–37.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.This article explores the use of technology in the nursing field and how the informatics specialty came into existence. The article also discusses the role of informatics in patient safety, its use in today’s technological sphere, and the future role it may play in health care.
• Huryk, L.A. (2011). Interview with an informaticist. Nursing Management, 42(11), 44–48.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.The author of this article interviews an experienced informatics nurse specialist (INS) to acquire a nurse’s perspective on electronic health records. The interviewee highlights common topics that future informatics nurses need to consider such as improved patient safety, evidence-based practices, legal/ethical implications, and health care reform.
• Murphy, J. (2011). The nursing informatics workforce: Who are they and what do they do? Nursing Economic$, 29(3), 150–153.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.The author of this article details roles within the nursing informatics workforce. The article also examines the chief nursing informatics officer position.
• Rimmerman, C., Heidenreich, D., & Appel, D. (2009). The role of a clinical operations analyst in implementing a successful electronic medical record. Physician Executive, 35(6), 34–39.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.This article describes electronic medical record (EMR) implementations and their associated benefits. The authors list goals and challenges of EMRs and also discuss how clinical operations analysts can help to increase the probability of a successful implementation.

American Medical Informatics Association. (n.d.f). Working group: Nursing informatics.