Chapter 3: Role of Informatics Nurse Specialist (Week 4)

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

At the end of the chapter, you are expected to:

1. discuss the duties and responsibilities of an Informatics Nurse

Specialist;
2. identify the skills needed for a Informatics Nurse Specialist; and
3. simulate and assess the work performance of an of an Informatics
Nurse Specialist.

Introduction

An informatics nurse specialist is someone at the forefront of changing

technology in the medical world. Often, they act as liaisons between health care
providers and technology people in order to allow better decisions to be made
based on more accurate data. The paper records systems that have been used by
healthcare providers for more than a century are quickly coming to an end.

Many informatics nurse specialists are registered nurses, which is key in

understanding the workflow as well as the working environment of the various
care settings. This role is an essential part of healthcare and a major factor in
selecting, implementing, and evaluating health IT that promotes safe, high quality,
patient-centric care. For nurses with an interest in technology and for improving
patient care, becoming an informatics nurse specialist may be a good career fit.

Unlocking of Difficulties

 Informatics nurse specialist – It is someone at the forefront of changing

technology in the medical world. Often, they act as liaisons between health
care providers and technology people in order to allow better decisions to
be made based on more accurate data. The paper records systems that
 have been used by healthcare providers for more than a century are quickly
coming to an end. Many informatics nurse specialists are registered nurses,
which is key in understanding the workflow as well as the working
environment of the various care settings. This role is an essential part of
healthcare and a major factor in selecting, implementing, and evaluating
health IT that promotes safe, high quality, patient-centric care. For nurses
with an interest in technology and for improving patient care, becoming an
informatics nurse specialist may be a good career fit.

 Electronic Health Record – It is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart.

EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information
available instantly and securely to authorized users. While an EHR does
contain the medical and treatment histories of patients, an EHR system is
built to go beyond standard clinical data collected in a provider’s office and
can be inclusive of a broader view of a patient’s care.

Lecture Notes

What Role Do Nursing Informatics Specialists Play?

Nursing informatics specialists, also known as nurse informaticists, bring medical

knowledge into the IT realm. It’s a type of nurse skilled in both the delivery of
healthcare and the development and utilization of healthcare technology. Nurses,
with their medical training and hands-on patient experience, are uniquely suited
to work with IT professionals to ensure EHRs (Electronic Health Records) and
other healthcare technology work well in the real world.

Vital roles of a Nursing Informatics Specialists

 Provides a work list to remind staff of planned nursing interventions
 Electronic medical records and computer based patient record.
 Monitoring devices that record vital signs and other measurement directly
into the client record.
 Computer generated nursing care plan and critical pathway.
  Automatic billing for supplies and procedures or procedures with nursing
documentation.
 Reminders and prompts that appears during documentation to ensure
comprehensive charting.

https://wp.nurse.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/nursing_informatics.jpg

With the increasing amount of healthcare technology and the increasing

complexity of EHRs, nursing informatics specialists can play a number of
important roles, including:

 Managing the transition from paper to digital records.

 Developing information systems based on current evidence-based
standards of care and ensuring systems remain updated.
 Developing EHR interfaces that are conducive to good care while remaining
efficient to use.
 Analyzing EHR data to identify areas where care can be improved and/or
costs better managed.
 Working with policymakers and government agencies to ensure laws and
regulations support healthcare technology and are compatible with
provider and patient technology needs.
  Developing and/or implementing healthcare technologies outside of EHRs,
including patient health monitoring systems, quality tracking initiative, and
home care management systems.

https://sites.google.com/site/nursingb1g/module-one/nursing-and-computers

What’s the Career Outlook for Nursing Informatics Specialists?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that the field of medical records
and health information technicians will grow by 13% between 2016 and 2026, a
rate that is faster than average. Most nurse informaticists, however, are at a level
above technicians and better described as health information managers, a
category that BLS includes under medical and health services managers. This
managerial category is expected to grow even faster than the technician category,
with employment in the field increasing 20% between 2016 and 2026.
In addition to being a part of fields experiencing rapid employment growth,
nursing informatics specialists also enjoy excellent salaries. Over half of those
with a certification in nursing informatics average over $100,000 a year.

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the-computer-in-medical-office-concept-of-consulting.jpg

How Can You Become a Nursing Informatics Specialist?

The best way to take your career in nursing into health informatics is to earn a
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a specialization in Nursing Informatics.
Offered by several of the top nursing schools, nurse informatics MSN programs
can help you gain the skills you’ll need to integrate data, information, and
knowledge to support patients, nurses, and other caregivers in their decision-
making in all roles and settings.
Just as health informatics utilizes modern technology, many master’s in nursing
programs now utilize technology too, offering online learning formats that make
earning your master’s degree in nursing more feasible than ever before. Instead
of requiring you to take classes on a campus, online MSN programs allow you to
complete courses from anywhere you have internet access. Plus, when you earn a
master’s in nursing online, you’ll have the freedom to choose when in the day you
attend class, making it possible for you to continue working full time while
enrolled.
If you hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, you’re already qualified to enroll in
most MSN programs online, such as the MSN nursing program offered by Walden
University. Walden also offers an RN to MSN path for nurses who have not earned
a BSN or hold a bachelor’s degree in subjects outside of nursing. This level of
convenience is just one more reason Walden produces more nurses with
advanced degrees than any other university. Nursing informatics is an increasingly
important healthcare career. With a master’s of science in nursing from an online
nursing school, you can make it your career.

Salary and Job Growth

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median annual income of $68,450 for
registered nurses in 2016, with the profession expected to grow by 16 percent
between 2014 and 2024. Advancement in this career path can be rewarding—
according to a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society survey,
the median annual salary of qualified nursing informatics specialists was $93,000
in 2014. The information technology that nursing informatics specialists
implement can provide advanced technical support that enhances the
communication process between patients and hospital personnel. Strong
communication—whether between patient and caregiver, or amongst a team of
medical personnel—is vital to the success of medical care. By ensuring that
information systems are built to utilize relevant information and provide a user-
friendly experience, nursing informatics specialists can provide medical facilities
with a heightened ability to adapt to change, improving the quality of care and
maximizing the ability to save lives.
https://www.ecpi.edu/sites/default/files/nurseoncomp.png

Skills Needed

Nursing informatics specialists straddle the line that separates medical

professionals and information technology professionals, meaning they must be
adept in a wide range of technical skills to be effective in their line of work. Some
of the most critical skills include the following:
 Computer Skills: Nursing informatics specialists spend a large amount of
time using computers during their careers. Individuals pursuing this
profession need to be competent in performing advanced computational
tasks, such as programming and network infrastructure administration.
 Leadership: Nursing informatics specialists provide high-quality leadership
to ensure that information systems are implemented correctly. When these
individuals use strategic leadership to present to all nursing team members
a vision that incorporates technology, the medical facilities that they
operate within becoming better prepared to embrace technology as a key
component of their practices and policies.
 Teamwork: Managing massive networks requires the cooperation of many
nurses and medical personnel. Communicating with other individuals is the
best way to identify design flaws and technical bugs.
 Attention to Detail: Nursing informatics specialists must be thorough in
their work, paying attention to every aspect of current technology in order
to identify new opportunities to enhance a hospital’s information-sharing
and communication systems. They also need to pay attention to which
team members are struggling to acclimate to new systems and information
technology so they can deliver the appropriate instruction or guidance.
 Data Analysis: The ability to process and analyze data is extremely
important for nursing informatics specialists, who need to interpret
massive amounts of data and compile useful information that can be used
to improve medical facilities’ information technology infrastructures.
 Organization: Remaining organized is imperative for nursing informatics
specialists, as they tend to operate independently with the expectation that
they balance a wide range of technical job functions with patient needs.
 Research: Information is a primary component of a nursing informatics
specialist’s job, thus collecting detailed and accurate data is important.
Staying up to date on the latest research techniques and trends guarantees
that the most valuable data is available.
 Critical Thinking: Applying logic and reason through the critical thinking
process allows nursing informatics specialists to assess their circumstances
and generate effective solutions to problems in both the long and short
term.
 https://sites.google.com/site/nu
rsingb1g/module-one/nursing-and-computers

Electronic Health Record (Preview for the next topic)

EHRs are a vital part of health IT and can:

 Contain a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment
plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and
test results
 Allow access to evidence-based tools that providers can use to make
decisions about a patient’s care
 Automate and streamline provider workflow

One of the key features of an EHR is that health information can be created and
managed by authorized providers in a digital format capable of being shared with
other providers across more than one health care organization. EHRs are built to
share information with other health care providers and organizations – such as
laboratories, specialists, medical imaging facilities, pharmacies, emergency
facilities, and school and workplace clinics – so they contain information from all
clinicians involved in a patient’s care.