Nursing Informatics Competency and Effective Clinical Decision-Making among Nurses in Saudi Arabia

The current study examined the relationship between nursing informatics competency (NIC) and perceived clinical decision-making (CDM) skills among nurses in Saudi Arabia.

A cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design with convenience sampling was employed in the current study. A self-reported questionnaire, including demographic variables, the Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment Tool (NICAT), and the Clinical Decision-Making in Nursing Scale (CDMNS), was administered. Data were collected between May and July 2024 via Google Forms from registered nurses at three government hospitals in Saudi Arabia.

A total of 160 registered nurses participated in the study. The results show that nurses in Saudi Arabia were "proficient" in their nursing informatics competencies, with a total scale average (M = 110.5, SD ±24.3), and a "medium" level of perceived CDM (M = 148.6, SD ±32.0). Moreover, a statistically significant, strong linear relationship was found between NIC and perceived levels of CDM (r = 0.734, p < 0.001). However, NIC was the sole statistically significant predictor (β = 0.7, p < 0.001) of their perceived level of CDM.

The study found that higher self-reported informatics competency was associated with higher perceived CDM. The results highlight to health care stakeholders and nursing management the importance of investing in targeted informatics training and integrating nursing informatics and clinical decision support tools into clinical nursing practice. Moreover, the findings encourage researchers to explore additional factors influencing CDM through longitudinal and qualitative research methods to gain a deeper understanding of this complex process.