Nursing informatics: a Victorian survey

Interviews of selected personnel from a stratified random sample of Victoria's public and private acute care hospitals provided data about current computer systems implementation in nursing departments. Key informants were asked about their hospitals' present level of computerisation and plans for the future. The study found that stand-alone microcomputers are currently driving systems development in nursing. This strategy limits nurses' ability to access data, diminishes their influence in decision-making and undervalues the contribution of nursing information to interdisciplinary health care.