Lesson 1: What is Informatics?

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​ What is Informatics?
Informatics harnesses the power and possibility of digital technology to transform data and information
into knowledge that people use every day. This strong focus on the human use of computing helps
people to interact with technology in the best and most efficient way possible.

​ Terms to Remember:
​ Medical Informatics
​ Healthcare Informatics
​ Nursing Informatics
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​ The Goal of Nursing Informatics:
“The goal of nursing informatics is to improve the health of populations, communities, families, and
individuals by optimizing information management and communication. This includes the use of
technology in the direct provision of care, in establishing effective administrative systems managing and
delivering educational experiences, supporting life-long learning and supporting nursing research.”

​ Definition of Nursing Informatics:

“The application of computer technology to all fields of nursing—nursing service, nurse education, and
nursing research.” (Scholes and Barber, 1980, p. 70)
Nursing informatics is a combination of nursing science, information science, and computer science to
manage and process nursing data, information, and knowledge to facilitate the delivery of health care.
(Graves & Corcoran, 1989)

​ Nursing Informatics is a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information
science to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge in nursing practice. Nursing
informatics facilitates the integration of data, information, and knowledge to support patients, nurses, and
other providers in their decision-making in all roles and settings. This support is accomplished through
the use of information structures and information technology.

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​ Definition of Medical Informatics:
The scientific field that deals with biomedical information, data and knowledge-their storage, retrieval,
and optimal use for problem-solving and decision-making. (Shortliffe & Perreault, 2001)

​ The Metastructures, Concepts, and Tools of Nursing and Nursing Informatics:

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​ Informatics is not synonymous with computer technology!

Nursing Informatics Facts:

Recognized as a specialty for registered nurses by the American Nurses Association in 1992.

Computers can't... but humans can:

​ Perceive data and information
​ Abstract data and information
​ Make decisions that involve values and risk preferences
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Scope of Informatics:
​ Data, information, knowledge, and wisdom
​ Communication and information management
​ Types, capabilities, and limitations of technology
​ Legal and ethical considerations of information
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​ Key Concepts of Informatics:
​ Data
​ Information
​ Knowledge
​ Wisdom
​ Knowledge Workers
​ Decision Making
​ Informatics Competencies
​ Workflow
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​ Data, Information, and Knowledge:
​ Data are discrete entities that are described objectively without interpretation,
 ​ Information is data that are interpreted, organized, or structured, and
​ Knowledge is information that is synthesized so that relationships are identified and formalized
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​ Wisdom:
​ is the appropriate use of data, information, and knowledge in making decisions and implementing
nursing actions.
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​ Knowledge Workers:
​ Definition: Knowledge work is non-repetitive, non-routine work consuming considerable levels of
cognitive activity (Drucker, 1993).
​ Bring their knowledge, skills, judgment, and time to the organization
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​ Decision Making:
​ Models:
​ Information Processing = the process of integrating data, information, and knowledge into
creating a thorough assessment of the given information/facts.
​ Decision Analysis = the point where decisions are generated, and the assessment of which of
the available decisions are the best.
​ Skill Acquisition = the process of acquiring the necessary skills/implementing skills to conduct the
decision approved.
​ Uncertainty is the result of having not enough information/facts, and the appropriate decision will
be hard to come by.
​ Biases help in the quick assessment of diseases (in the case of the medical field) as facts are
already evident and the symptoms check out. It can also lead to errors since the disease might
be different even if the symptoms for a specific disease are the same.
​ Process is the step-by-step action that is required in creating or formulating a decision.
​ Outcome is the final step in the process, in which it shows the best action to take for the
decision.
​ Critical Thinking is the thorough assessment of the given facts.
​ Decision Making is the thorough assessment of the given facts, with the intent to provide a
solution/decision.
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​ Workflow:
​ Process mapping is the visualization of the steps of the process.
​ The low level process is a process on a micro scale. It is a much-detailed step-by-step process
that shows every part of the process.
​ The high level process is a process on a macro scale. It shows a broader look on the process
and only shows the umbrella term of the process.
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​ Systems Architecture:
​ Integrated = all functions are packaged in a single system.
​ Distributed = multiple systems deliver various tasks and send data to a main system for data
management.
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​ Overarching Standards of Practice for the Informatics Nurse Specialist:
​ Incorporates theories, principles, and concepts from appropriate sciences into informatics
practice such as information, systems, and change theories; implementation methods,
organizational culture, and database structures.
​ Integrates ergonomics and human-computer interaction principles into informatics solution
design, selection, implementation, and evaluation.
 ​ Systematically determines the social, legal, and ethical impacts of an informatics solution within
nursing and health care.
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​ Informatics Nurse Specialist Standards of Practice:
​ Standard I. Identify the Issue or Problem
​ Standard II. Identify Alternatives
​ Standard III. Choose and Develop a Solution
​ Standard IV. Implement the Solution
​ Standard V. Evaluate and Adjust Solutions
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​ Informatics Nurse Specialist Standards of Professional Performance:
​ Standard I. Quality of Nursing Informatics Practice
​ Standard II. Performance Appraisal
​ Standard III. Education
​ Standard IV. Collegiality
​ Standard V. Ethics
​ Standard VI. Collaboration
​ Standard VII. Research
​ Standards VIII. Resource Utilization
​ Standard IX. Communication
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​ Informatics Competencies: Three Areas
​ Computer Literacy = a set of skills that allow individuals to use computer technology to
accomplish tasks.
​ Informatics Knowledge = a set of cognitive processes that allows the individual to recognize
what, when, and where information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and use that information
appropriately.
​ Informatics Skills = the technical ability to use tools and techniques to improve information and
knowledge access, integration, management, and use.
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​ Roles of the Informatics Nurse Specialist:
​ Project Management
​ Consultation
​ Education
​ Research
​ System Development
​ Decision Support/Outcomes Management
​ Policy Development
​ Entrepreneur
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​ Information Needs and Tools for Practice:
​ Sound Clinical Decision Making
​ Evidence-Based Practice
​ Standardized Vocabularies
​ Clinical Information Systems