Nursing informatics and practice development

Abstract

The nature of healthcare is changing, and as society becomes more technologically driven, it is important for nursing to take a leading role. This paper briefly considers the history of nursing informatics from its development in the 1960s. The role of technology in nursing practice is discussed, together with the contribution it can make to enhancing the knowledge and skills of nurses. Studies that have looked at the attitudes of nurses towards this new technology are then discussed. A consideration of how nursing informatics can advance practice development follows, illustrated using the examples of three nursing informatics projects — the Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older persons' Needs (ACTION) project, HeartCare, an internet-based cardiac recovery support service for patients at home following cardiac surgery, and a study to consider the effectiveness of telemedicine as a support system to encourage breastfeeding.