Nurse Informaticists Improve Patient Outcomes

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Nurses with graduate training are becoming more common in hospitals; as the field grows, providers are noticing patient outcomes improve as well. Zynx Health presents a webinar on the subject May 15, 2014

According to HIMSS, nursing informatics (NI) is “a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. NI supports consumers, patients, nurses, and other providers in their decision making in all roles and settings. This support is accomplished through the use of information structures, information processes, and information technology.”

It comes as no surprise that nurse informaticists have the experience and knowledge to evaluate current care plans and develop improved ones. The average nurse informaticist has 16 years experience and more than half have a post graduate degree. In the 2011 HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workplace Survey, “Less than half of the survey respondents (48 percent) reported that their primary workplace is a hospital while an additional 20 percent reported that they work at the corporate offices of a healthcare system. Nine percent work in an academic setting and five percent work for a consulting firm or a vendor.”

These nurses are highly satisfied as well, according to the same survey. “More than 70 percent of respondents said they have a job title specific to informatics; which is more than double the number from the last survey. More than half reported they were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ with their current positions. Eighty-one percent said they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘highly satisfied’ with their choice to pursue a career in informatics.”

An opportunity to learn more about nursing informatics occurs next month when Zynx Health will be presenting a webinar in conjunction with Health IT Outcomes. The webinar will detail how to best utilize the unique skills nurse informaticists possess and how to blend those skills to achieve improved patient outcomes. Featured will be White Plains hospital, at which nursing leadership implemented evidence-based care plans after analyzing the hospital’s situation and, “As a result of their efforts, (saw) care plan utilization increase from just 58 percent to 95 percent. User satisfaction increased as well from both novice and veteran clinicians.”

At White Plains, the success of this rapid implementation and the increase in care plan utilization rates is attributed to:

• the staunch support of the nursing leadership team
• nurse informaticists who brought with them a rich history of experience as staff nurses and informaticists that helped bridge the communication gap between clinicians and informaticists
• the formation of an interdisciplinary care planning council that was made up of staff who touch the lives of a patient at the point of care
• the adoption of a more meaningful and efficient care plan model

Sign up for the webinar HERE