Just as the Internet and other technological innovations have radically changed the world, the constant evolution of informatics continues to transform nursing and health care. The nurse is at the forefront of this transformation, serving as a knowledgeable leader in system development, implementation, and management. As new technologies become integrated into health care settings, the role of the nurse informaticist will continue to become more critical.

For this Discussion, you examine the informatics roles that have evolved to facilitate this transformation. You consider different functional roles and responsibilities that nurse informaticists may fulfill and how they contribute to technological progress throughout the health care field.

Note: There are many different terms used to refer to "nurse informaticist," including informatics nurse, nurse informatician, and informatics specialist. In this specialization, the term "nurse informaticist" is applied, adhering to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) terminology.

To prepare:

Review this week's media presentation, The Role of Nurse Informaticists, reflecting on the impact that informaticists have on health care settings.
Using the web resource "Working Group - Nursing Informatics: Roles" in this week's Learning Resources, investigate the job descriptions of and responsibilities aligned with various nursing informatics roles. Consider how these roles might have grown in breadth and importance since the original postings.

Identify a nursing informatics role that is of particular interest to you. Conduct further research to find out how this specific role might contribute to patient safety, quality of care, nurse efficiency, the implementation of new informatics initiatives, and/or electronic health records.

Post A minimum of 550 words with 3 references in APA format

1) A description of a nursing informatics role that that is of interest to you and why.

2) In your posting, explain how the nurse informaticist in this role impacts one or more of the following: patient safety, quality of care, nurse efficiency, the implementation of new informatics initiatives, and/or electronic health records.

3) Justify your reasoning by citing authentic examples and references to the research literature.

Required Resources

Readings

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.

Read the following Chapter:
"Functional Areas for Nursing Informatics"

This section details nine distinct functional areas that nurse informaticists often fulfill in their various job titles and specific positions. These functional areas include administration, analysis, integrity management, consultation, and others.
Saba, V. K., & McCormick, K. A. (2015). Essentials of nursing informatics (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Chapter 48, "Information Literacy and Computerized Information Resources"

In this chapter, the authors focus on electronic sources that are easily accessible to nurses and how vital they are to professional credibility and growth. They elaborate on three main points: staying up-to-date with the published literature, developing and maintaining a list of resources, and collaborating and networking with your colleagues.

Ericksen, A. B. (2009). Informatics: The future of nursing. RN, 72(7), 34-37.

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

This article explores the use of technology in the nursing field and how the informatics specialty came into existence. The article also discusses the role of informatics in patient safety, its use in today's technological sphere, and the future role it may play in health care.
Huryk, L.A. (2011). Interview with an informaticist. Nursing Management, 42(11), 44-48.

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

The author of this article interviews an experienced informatics nurse specialist (INS) to acquire a nurse's perspective on electronic health records. The interviewee highlights common topics that future informatics nurses need to consider such as improved patient safety, evidence-based practices, legal/ethical implications, and health care reform.

Murphy, J. (2011). The nursing informatics workforce: Who are they and what do they do? Nursing Economic$, 29(3), 150-153.

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

The author of this article details roles within the nursing informatics workforce. The article also examines the chief nursing informatics officer position.

Rimmerman, C., Heidenreich, D., & Appel, D. (2009). The role of a clinical operations analyst in implementing a successful electronic medical record. Physician Executive, 35(6), 34-39.

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

This article describes electronic medical record (EMR) implementations and their associated benefits. The authors list goals and challenges of EMRs and also discuss how clinical operations analysts can help to increase the probability of a successful implementation.
American Medical Informatics Association. (n.d.f). Working group: Nursing informatics. Retrieved October 17, 2012 from http://www.amia.org/programs/working-groups/nursing-informatics

This web page lists a variety of job descriptions that are applicable to the nursing informatics specialty. You should review how the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) defines nursing informatics. Scroll down the page and use the left navigation bar to browse the hyperlinks under the "Informatics Core" and "Informatics Areas" for more information on this. You will also need to explore the hyperlinks under the "Related Working Groups" and "Cross-cutting Working Groups" headings on the right-hand side of the page for more information, as well.

(Note: You will use this resource for this week's discussion, so make sure to explore these links thoroughly.)

HIMSS Nursing Informatics Awareness Task Force. (2007). An emerging giant: Nursing informatics. Nursing Management. Retrieved from http://s3.amazonaws.com/rdcms-himss/files/production/public/HIMSSorg/handouts/An%20Emerging%20Giant%20Nursing%20Informatics.pdf

This foundational piece created by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)Task Force examines the ever-growing need for nurse informaticists. The authors also specify the roles that are associated with nursing informatics, as well as relevant education programs and certification processes.
Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012g). The role of nurse informaticists. Baltimore: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 15 minutes.

In this week's media presentation, Gail Latimer, Dr. Patricia Button, and Dr. Roy Simpson share their professional experiences in the informatics field, as well as their perceptions about the evolution of nursing informatics. Each also outlines the varied roles that informatics professionals can play within health care settings.