Examining the Effect of an Educational Program on Nursing Students' Informatics Competencies

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Informatics
• Digital Health Competencies

Background:

• Undergraduate nursing students often exhibit low informatics competencies.
• Applied computer skills, particularly in clinical informatics, are a noted weakness.
• There is a need to assess and improve nursing informatics skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a brief educational intervention on nursing informatics competencies.
• To measure changes in self-assessed informatics skills among undergraduate nursing students.
• To provide evidence for curriculum development in nursing informatics.

Main Methods:

• A one-group pretest-posttest design was utilized.
• Eighty-three undergraduate nursing students participated in the study.
• The Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Scale (SANICS-18) was administered.

Main Results:

• Pretest scores revealed low overall nursing informatics competencies.
• The lowest self-reported subscale was applied computer skills within clinical informatics.
• Post-intervention, students demonstrated improved general informatics competencies.

Conclusions:

• A short-term education program can effectively enhance nursing informatics competencies.
• Nursing curricula should incorporate continuous informatics training.
• Integrating informatics skills is crucial for modern nursing practice.