Nursing the system. Key users are sometimes "out of the loop"

Among those with a particular interest in hospital information systems are those who teach nursing students at the college level. To get their views, Southern Hospitals interviewed four Nurse Scholars involved with nursing and research projects for universities across the South. In 1989, Atlanta-based vendors HealthQuest and HBO & Company of Georgia established the Nurse Scholars Program in an effort to help academia stay abreast of technology. It provides nurse educators with comprehensive instruction in emerging technologies and uses of automated patient care systems. The scholars are encouraged to share their new knowledge with students, faculty, practitioners and administrators so that future nurse executives will better understand and communicate what they need and want from information systems.