Since the creation of the above video, information solutions have expanded exponentially to include video, smart phones, tablets, and mobile patient monitoring systems (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012).  Telehealth is only one of the solutions in which nurse informatics specialists participate.  The NIS is also heavily involved in the development and implementation of clinical decision support systems which provide nurses with tools to access immediate information and make informed decisions promptly.  The success of the personal health record (PHR) and electronic health record (EHR) are dependent upon the involvement of the NIS (McGonigle et. al, 2014).  Universal electronic health records will revolutionize patient care.

 

Healthcare is constantly growing in acuity and complexity.  Nursing informatics is struggling to keep apace.  The role of the nurse informatics specialist will become even more essential as the need for information solutions intensifies. 

 

As healthcare changes and evolves, as will the role of the NIS.  McCormick, Brennan, Murphy, and Weaver (2014) acknowledged that the future of healthcare and nursing informatics would be influenced by the following factors:

 

• Demographics of the population being served

  • There will likely be an increase in the older population

     

• Ongoing goal of improving healthcare quality

   

• Cost of healthcare

 

• Healthcare informatics

  • As technology continues to advance, nursing must remain updated

  • There will be an increased need for biomedical informatics and computational biology education for nurses

     

• Genetic Discoveries

  • New learning around genetics, disease, disease prevention and disease management

 

• Threats to society

  • Infectious disease pandemics

  • Bioterrorism

 

• Societal changes

  • Care delivery will move toward ambulatory and community settings

 

(McCormick et. al, 2014).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As depicted in the above image, McCormick, Brennan, Murphy, and Weaver (2014) recommended that nurses and nurse information specialists consider the following guideposts for the future of nursing informatics:

 

1. Nurses must remain actively involved in the continual development of informatics solutions, in order to improve quality of care.

   • Nurse informatics specialists will continue to be crucial players in the development of the EHR, PHR, and clinical support tools.

   • The NIS will lead the design, effective utilization, and evaluation of the EHR (CNA, 2006; HIMSS, 2014)

   • Best practice guidelines and system delivery guidelines for the PHR and EHR must be created and shared with consumers and nurses

   • The NIS must continue to play an active and effective role in change management (Kenney & Androwich, 2012, as cited in McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012).

   • Nurses will continue to collaborate with the International Council of Nurses to create standardized nursing terminology (CNA, 2006b)

   • Informatics must be prepared to address emergency preparedness, biodefense, and public health

2. Nursing informatics education

   • Upon graduation, student nurses should be well prepared to play an active role on the multidisciplinary team

   • The EHR will employ the NMDS, contributing to the development of evidence-based nursing practice

   • Nursing programs will include more informatics in their curricula, including evidenced-based practice in conjunction with the EHR.

   • Undergraduate and graduate nursing programs as well as continuing education will foster information and communication technology (CNA, 2006b)

   • Educators will be prepared to teach informatics

   • There will be a need for increased training and education for nursing informatics research

   • All healthcare professionals will require basic informatics skills (Kenney & Androwich, 2012, as cited in McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012).

   • Nurses will increase their competencies in information and communications technology (CNA, 2006b)

      

3. Research

   • Research will gain more federal funding

   • Standardized nursing terminology will be incorporated into the EHR, therefore facilitating nursing research via a greater capability to gather, analyze, and evaluate information

   • Nursing informatics specialists’ roles will expand to incorporate increased of nursing leadership and influence policy making (HIMSS, 2014).

 

 

The future holds unique and innovative experiences for the nurse informatics specialist.