The TIGER Initiative
Rapid expansion and advances in health technology require nurses practicing in the 21st century to have a range of competencies in informatics ranging from basic computer skills to advanced competencies in information technology and information literacy. Despite this though, informatics knowledge and competencies are yet to be fully integrated into nursing curricula (National League for Nursing, 2008). This prompted the formation of the TIGER initiative in 2004. This paper will describe this initiative and its implications for health care.
The acronym TIGER stands for Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform. It is a grassroot initiative formed by a cluster of leaders derived from nursing informatics. It was formed to address the lack of nursing involvement in federal health information technology initiatives and lack of technology and informatics-related knowledge and competencies in nursing practice settings and nursing education programs. One of its goals is to provide a framework for the integration of informatics knowledge and skills into nursing curricula. It also focuses on equipping nurses with the know-how of how they can use the principles, theories, tools, and practices of informatics to make health care more safer, effective, efficient, patient-centered, equitable, and timely (The TIGER Initiative, n. d.).
Technology continues to perverse all aspects of health care. By 2014, it is expected that all Americans will have an electronic health record. In fostering the transparent integration of informatics and technology into nursing practice settings and nursing education programs (The TIGER Initiative, n. d.), the TIGER initiative will help equip nurses with knowledge and skills on the use of these technologies. This will in turn facilitate easier, faster, and wide-spread adoption of federal and non-federal health information technologies such as electronic health records. These technologies will improve the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of health care. They will achieve this by enabling nurses to share data and information more easily, personalize patient care via the use of telehealth and personal health records, and to improve public health through enhanced access to information (National League for Nursing, 2008). Information systems and technologies are the foundation for clinical-decision support tools and evidence-based practice. The TIGER initiative will thus foster higher utilization of evidence-based practices and technology tools such as personal digital assistants in clinical practice.
In conclusion, the TIGER is an initiative by nurse informatics leaders formed in 2004. It aims at fostering the integration of informatics, information, and computer literacy knowledge and practices in both nursing education programs and practice settings. The TIGER initiative will transform health care positively by facilitating the faster and wider adoption of health information technologies, utilization of evidence-based knowledge and technological clinical decision making tools in nursing practice.
References
National League for Nursing (2008). Position statement: Preparing the next generation of nurses to practice in a technology-rich environment: An informatics agenda. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/aboutnln/PositionStatements/informatics_052808.pdf
The TIGER Initiative (n. d.). Informatics competencies for every practicing nurse: Recommendations from the TIGER collaborative. Retrieved from http://www.thetigerinitiative.org/docs/TigerReport_InformaticsCompetencies.pdf
