Nursing Informatics: State of the Science

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Health Information Science
• Clinical Informatics

Background:

• Nursing informatics merges computer science, information science, and nursing science to enhance patient care.
• The informatics model (data, information, knowledge) guides the development of automated systems for clinicians.
• Focuses on the evolution of clinical and nursing management systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the nature of automated systems in supporting high-quality patient care.
• To emphasize the importance of research in advancing nursing knowledge within informatics.
• To identify milestones in the scientific progress of nursing informatics.

Main Methods:

• Review of the evolution of clinical care and nursing management systems.
• Analysis of automated systems from inception to their current state.
• Identification of key nursing informatics resources.

Main Results:

• Nursing informatics has evolved significantly over time.
• Milestones in the scientific advancement of nursing informatics have been identified.
• Current automated systems aim to support clinicians in delivering high-quality care.

Conclusions:

• Despite advancements, substantial scientifically based work remains in nursing informatics.
• Further research is crucial for the continued development and scientific grounding of nursing informatics.
• Key resources highlight the scope of work yet to be accomplished in the field.