The new millennium brings nursing informatics into the OR

Will the perioperative arena step out of the dark ages and into the new millennium with informatics? A paradigm shift must occur in both the perioperative arena and health care organizations. Health care organizations must realize the value of informatics and the importance of integrating the informatics nurse into the organizational information system's team. This article discusses how the informatics nurse can accelerate the paradigm shift in the perioperative arena if given the opportunity. The informatics nurse's proactive involvement in the perioperative environment will ensure that information handling technologies benefit the perioperative specialty and, ultimately, enhance patient care.