A qualitative analysis of faculty perceptions of nursing informatics and education culture

A qualitative analysis of faculty perceptions of nursing informatics and education culture

Background Information technology is infiltrating every aspect of developed contemporary society, including education, health care and subsequently, nursing. The field of nursing informatics has been recognized for over thirty years, evolving in pace with the growing use of computers and other information and communication technologies (ICT) within work and personal environments. Staggers and Bagley-Thompson (2002) proposed that nursing informatics could be defined as “...a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge in nursing practice. Nursing informatics facilitates the integration of data, information, and knowledge to support 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” (Staggers & Thompson, 2002, p. 260). Although national organizations such as the Canadian Nurses Association (2001, 2006) have articulated the importance of incorporating nursing informatics in the education of student nurses, most nursing education programs continue to do so in a rudimentary manner. “Educators need to develop and implement curricula that incorporate nursing informatics competencies in basic and graduate education, be active promoters of ICT in nursing, lead by example and link their institutions' websites to the [CNA] portal. Partners should work closely with the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing to ensure the integration of ICT competencies into core curricula” (Canadian Nurses Association, 2006, p. 81). This directive is echoed in much of the national and international literature, reflecting a positivist, utopian, modernist urge for immediate adoption, robust competency development, and swift infusion…