[The Role Development of Informatics Nurse Specialists in Taiwan]

The development of information technology has changed the world and allowed the innovation of nursing-care services. In recent years, the development of nursing informatics in Taiwan has been catching up with international trends and has been regarded positively by the international medical informatics community. The integration of information technology into medical care system has created the new nursing role of "informatics nurse." Although the certification system and job descriptions for these nurses have become increasingly comprehensive in many nations, Taiwan remains in the early development stage in these regards. Taiwan informatics nurses continue to face unclear and inadequately stated role responsibilities and job titles, undefined training requirements, and a lack of a clear qualification / certification system. This paper introduces the role functions and professional growth of informatics nurses and introduces the framework for a certification system in order to give to various medical and paramedical staffs a better understanding of informatics nursing and to recognize the important role played by informatics nurses in the process of healthcare informatics development.