Nurses' knowledge of and attitude to nursing information systems

The use of a nursing information system (NIS) provides significant benefit to the nurses in the management of real-time patient data and contributes to improving the operational effectiveness of nursing services.

To assess the knowledge of, attitude towards and use of an NIS.

A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out among 230 hospital nurses in India, using a validated questionnaire including demographic characteristics, and questions on knowledge of, attitude towards and use of an NIS.

The study found that more than 70% of nurses had good computer skills and knowledge about the information system. About 75% of the nurses reported that the NIS could be a tool to support them in improving patient care, and medical documentation, although 42% claimed that the use of NIS depersonalises nursing care. Seventy-one per cent of the nurses expressed the need for formal education and training on using an NIS during and after their nursing education.

Training and demonstration of NISs during nurse education would improve nurses' knowledge, build confidence and positive attitudes, and enhance the acceptability and sustainability of NISs in healthcare settings.