Nursing informatics is a specialty that has gained much acclaim in the last decade and its importance to the delivery of care remains a key point that researchers, clinicians and nurse educators have to place much focus in order to optimize its benefits. During this course, I have recognized that while technology has significantly been utilized to improve care outcomes, there are areas that remain unexplored and that implies a need to work towards achieving the full benefits of technology. There are many areas that informatics has provided a boost within a fast-paced environment where complexity of cases is high. The ability to make split-second decisions, actualize and facilitate ordering and documentation as well as provide effective and efficient monitoring all point to the prime realities of the importance of technology (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2014).
However, I think that there is a need for education of nurses across the baccalaureate and doctorate levels to aid in the development of critical areas such as standardization of terminology with a view to optimizing all the functions that the information systems within the healthcare sector afford. The lacking policy frameworks that drive how informatics can be applied systematically and standardized across various facilities are areas that stakeholders in the healthcare sector need to refocus on and that implies working closely with the nurse educators to generate a generation of nurses that is adept with informatics (While & Dewsbury, 2011).
The importance of a reviewed curriculum that integrates a great deal of simulation learning, observational and participatory techniques in nursing informatics are key strategies whose importance to the sector will be felt widely in the long term. The introduction of tangible learning techniques as well as role modeling within the healthcare facilities especially for new nurses would play a key role in the optimization of technology and informatics. In my view, as a nursing student I have to develop professional networks and work closely with the experienced colleagues in order to learn the realities that define informatics (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2014).
References
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2014). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
While, A., & Dewsbury, G. (2011). Nursing and information and communication technology (ICT): a discussion of trends and future directions.International journal of nursing studies, 48(10), 1302-1310.
