Nursing Informatics in 13 South America countries has been based more on ACTIVITIES of INDIVIDUALS than on

a policy established by governments or national efforts.

Each country has varied levels of development and deployment of technological resources. Technology is visible
tendency in:

1. Health
2. Nursing Education
3. Nursing Practice
4. Nursing research
5. Administration

This has already been discussed in the previous chapters. For health, technology has made work easier, making the
quality of care given by nurses improve, therefore leading to better health for the patients. In terms of nursing
education, nursing informatics made computerized record-keeping, computerized-assisted instruction, and interactive
video technology possible, thereby improving the quality of knowledge given to students. Computer applications in
nursing education are also changing nursing education from a passive teaching to an active learning process.
Computes allow students to work at the time the best meets their specific needs. Usually, the programs are very
interactive and easy to use and offer immediate feedback about students’ performance. In nursing research, there are
now searching and web sources due to technology, as well as the adoption of standardized language related to nursing
terms like NANDA. Last but not least, in administration, staff scheduling became automated, and the development of
emails has made communication much better for health care personnel.

Computers are considered an important tool to help nurses take care of patients and to organize nursing service and
nursing education. Well historically, way back when technology hasn’t been discovered yet, nurses are used to
facing challenges, in terms of workloads, and the difficulty of the job itself in general. Applying this scenario here in
the Philippines where our country is lacking manpower, nurses are overworked and handling numerous patients
simultaneously, with the help of technology the workload and quality of care being given to patients are improved and
enhanced. Technology represents a unique instrument that help nurses face further challenges and discover how to use
its resources to innovate and redesign their way of taking care of people.

The growth of information technology in Latin America and the Caribbean has been consistently the world’s highest
for 20 years.

Health institutes and universities are exploring ways to introduce news resources in order to facilitate the process of
the patient care and promote quality and safety. Hospitals have been working to design their own system in order to
attend to specific needs and policies. In fact More recently, national and international software industry became more
represented in the South America healthcare market. Consequently, they provide a broader range of solutions with
systems that address patient care documentation.

Nursing has been identified around the world as an emerging profession for over a 100 years.
Nursing has been identified around the world as an emerging profession for over 100 years.The professional evolution
has been continuous process influenced by science and technology, which has been the driving force to further nursing
development. for many years, nurses were considered as the primary users of technology in healthcare

People are able to connect to the internet that is a telecommunication resource with no parallel to fast exchange data
and information. In result we can expect to see better-informed healthcare providers and consumers.
Recognizing computers and all information technology resources available as powerful instruments, gradually, each
country became more aware of the possibilities to apply information technology to enhance activities in taking care of
clients/patients. There is a clear trend in the direction of the computerization of health records. In addition, more
people are able to connect to the internet that is a telecommunication resource with no parallel to fast exchange data
and information. As a result we can expect to see better-informed healthcare providers and consumers

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has published guidelines and protocols to orient the development and
deployment of information and communication technology in Latin America and the Caribbean. A study performed by
the PAN America Health Organization/ World Health Organization information, computer and social infrastructure is
evolving rapidly. Considering trends and tendency in healthcare informatics, and to facilitate the process in South
America n countries, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has published guidance and protocols to orient
the development and deployment of information and communication technology in Latin America and the Caribbean
(Pan America Health Association/World Health Organization, 1998, 2001, 2003). In addition to this information, It is
also important to emphasize that Latin America and the Caribbean region rank third in information technology
expenditures. A study performed by the Pan America Health Organization/World Health Organization (1998) showed
that the Information Society Index, Based on the use of information, computer, and social infrastructure, is evolving
rapidly.

In South American countries:

The initial motivation to develop computer systems in the healthcare area was driven by financial and administrative
concerns. In 19th century, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Paraguay have clinical information
systems in hospitals or health institutes. Patient data that are also used for nursing administration are integrated in the
systems or nurses have to collect and analyze nursing data separately.

Although clinical information systems are being used in some ways to support clinical care and management, a few
hospitals or healthcare institutes developed applications for nursing documentation where nursing data can be
processed. In general, patient data that are also used for nursing administration are integrated in the system or nurses
have to collect and analyze nursing data separately. Most of the computer systems implemented is intended to control
administration data.

Congresses, conferences, workshops, education, and training programs are being organized in the countries to share
experiences and information in nursing informatics searching for solutions that could enhance the delivery of patient
care.

Well the reason for theses workshops and training programs is because it can be observed that the use of computers as
an instrument to support nurses’ activities in taking care of patients still needs a lot of investment of human and
material resources. Clinical systems based on the nursing process are not common in these countries. nurses are
becoming even more involved with the design, implementation, and evaluation of clinical information systems.
Vendors and developers recognize that the success of computer system requires nursing input and collaboration. it is
necessary to emphasize that the inclusion of nursing elements of practice in the patient record is under the
responsibility of nurses. They need to be involved with the programmers, vendors, and developers to drive the
professional requirement. Taking care of patients is what nurses know how to do. Therefore, it is essential to assure
that all information required to perform nursing care is present in the health information systems.