Impact on Healthcare

What impact has Nursing Informatics had on healthcare/nursing?

Nursing informatics is changing the way healthcare is being implemented today. In the past, it was difficult and very time consuming to collect data about a patient’s condition, analyze it, and then present a timely solution for the patient. Creating a diagnosis could take days or weeks. Although the mission of nursing remains unchanged, the speed of care can now be greatly enhanced by using technology and nursing informatics to improve the accuracy and communication of patient care data to the collaborative medical team. For example, there are increasing shortages of primary care practitioners in rural areas. Nurse practitioners are helping to fill this gap in care by utilizing the implementation of telehealth platforms. Using video conferencing technology patients can be seen in rural or remote settings while their health data is transmitted back to a clinician electronically for analysis and application of a diagnosis. Nursing informatics is the virtual glue that allows the execution of this platform to work. Telehealth platforms improve quality of care by allowing multiple participants to be present virtually as well. For example, a nurse practitioner may not understand a Spanish speaking patient, but a translator can be made available online to assist with the interview and communication with the patient.