Future Needs in Nursing Informatics - Preliminary Findings from the Global Nursing Informatics Survey.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Nursing Science
• Information Management

Background:

• Nursing informatics (NI) is crucial for healthcare advancement.
• The International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Students and Emerging Professionals (SEP) Nursing Informatics (NI) group surveyed NI needs in 2015 and 2019.
• Understanding current and future NI needs is vital for strategic development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the evolving needs in nursing informatics.
• To identify priorities for advancing nursing informatics in institutions and countries over the next 5-10 years.
• To compare current NI needs with those identified in previous surveys.

Main Methods:

• Follow-up survey conducted by IMIA SEP NI group.
• Inductive content analysis of English responses received by December 2023.
• Analysis focused on identifying key areas for NI advancement.

Main Results:

• Identified needs fall into four categories: recognition and roles, educational needs, technological needs, and research needs.
• Despite progress in nursing informatics, current needs largely mirror those identified in the 2015 survey.
• Participants highlighted specific actions required at institutional and national levels.

Conclusions:

• Nursing informatics continues to evolve, yet fundamental needs persist.
• Strategic interventions are required to address persistent gaps in recognition, education, technology, and research.
• Sustained focus on these areas is essential for future nursing informatics development.