Chapter 6
by Nancy Staggers and Ramona Nelson
Overview of Nursing
Informatics
Objectives
• Define nursing informatics (NI) and key
terminology
• Explore NI metastructures, concepts and tools
• Reflect on the sciences underpinning NI
• Describe phenomena of nursing
Key Terms Defined
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Decision Support System
Ergonomics
Expert System
Human-Computer Interaction
Informatics Nurse Specialist
Key Terms Defined
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Informatics Nurse
Informatics Solution
Information
Information Literacy
Knowledge
Key Terms Defined
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Nanotechnology
Nursing Informatics
Usability
Wisdom
Metastructures
• What are metastructures?
• The processing of data
• What concerns all nurses, no matter their area
of practice?
• Explain the difference between knowledge
and wisdom
Metastructures
• The full range of the study of Nursing
Informatics
• Using knowledge appropriately
• An example of applied wisdom
• What is now the concern of NI?
Sciences Underpinning Nursing
Informatics
• NI - A combination of sciences
• A unique whole, greater than the sum of the
parts
• The importance of the application of data
Structured Language as a Tool for
Nursing Informatics
• How is nursing knowledge gained?
• Different ways to approach data collection and
analysis
• The ANA specifications
Structured Language as a Tool for
Nursing Informatics
• Promoting interoperability
• The importance of understanding languages
and terminologies
• The INS must bridge a gap to envision
emerging functions
Concepts and Tools from Information
Science and Computer Science
• Fundamental elements of NI
• Information technology
• Information structures
• Information management
• The use of information technology
Human Computer Interaction and
Related Concepts
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Human–computer interaction
Elemental roots of HCI
Addressing usability issues
Usability and ergonomics of HCI
Human Computer Interaction and
Related Concepts
• Optimal task completion
• HCI and usability assessments
• The number of HCI and usability publications
on the rise
• Vendors installing usability laboratories
Phenomena of Nursing
• Four key concepts of the metaparadigm of
nursing
• Basis of nursing actions
• Nurse’s decisions
• The process of decision-making
Phenomena of Nursing
• Critical thinking
• Wisdom in informatics
• Describing nurse’s decision-making
Phenomena of Nursing
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Decision making and potential problems
The environment of decision making
Decision support systems
What is an expert system?
Phenomena of Nursing
• The future of Nursing Informatics
• Informatics solutions as common nursing tools
• How will the future evolve?
Thought Provoking Questions
1. How is the concept of wisdom in nursing
informatics like or unlike professional nursing
judgment?
2. Think of a futuristic technology and explain its
impact on nursing.