2023 According to What is Nursing Informatics 2019 Nursing informatics is the specialty that integrates

According to “What is Nursing Informatics?” (2019), “Nursing informatics is the specialty that integrates nursing science with multiple information and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice.” The most important part of informatics is being specialized and trained in technology and nursing but the next important is communication. This involves many areas in the medical field.  “To provide proper care and improve patient outcomes, today’s nurses must collaborate effectively with members of the health care team from other disciplines” (Jakubowski, 2018). I have personally participated in meetings over the years with the informatics team while our hospital was going from paper charting to electronic charting. Some of these nurses who work in informatics have experience taking care of patients and charting but some do not. Also, if they have taken care of patients, they do not always know the most convenient ways to integrate charting for the staff on the floors.  It was important for the different departments to send nurses and other staff to speak to the informatics team and discuss issues with the flow of charting and the access, or lack of access, to make charting as easy as possible for the staff. It was also to make sure information was accessible, if needed, to other departments. The pharmacy was also a huge part of these meetings. They were highly involved in the orders and making sure medications were correct in order to keep patients and staff safe. 

One great way to make these processes easier is to make certain staff superusers.  “A “superuser” is a staff member who receives additional in-depth training on a specific program and sometimes receive greater access privileges to programs” (Androus, 2020). These Superusers help to train staff and help with any problems or questions they have.  These superusers also have a direct relationship with the informatics team to assist in giving suggestions, learned from floor charting and staff, to help develop the electronic charting to make it more user friendly. Without these superusers, there would be a huge gap in communication and lost information. 

Androus, Amanda B. (2020). How Does Becoming A “SuperUser” Advance a Nursing Informatics Career?. Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://www.registerednursing.org/answers/how-does-becoming-super-user-advance-nursing-informatics-career/.

Jakubowski, Tami L. (2018). Interprofessional collaboration improves healthcare. Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/features/more-features/interprofessional-collaboration-improves-healthcare.

What is Nursing Informatics?. (2019). Retrieved June 01, 2020, from https://www.himss.org/resources/what-nursing-informatics.