Readiness of nurses for electronic networking for quality assessment and improvement

Quality assessment and improvement (QAI) is a rapidly evolving component of health care. Its operationalization in clinical practice can be greatly enhanced by information sharing, best practice networking, and communication of experiences and resources. Nurses play a key role in both QAI and information sharing in this endeavor. Electronic communication supports the rapid sharing of QAI-related information across agencies to link nurses with a common interest in continuously improving the quality of health care delivery. It offers the opportunity to diminish the barrier of distance, which is especially relevant for nurses in rural areas. Before electronic communication was established as an information-sharing mechanism, however, the readiness of nurses in both rural and urban/suburban settings was assessed. A convenience sample of nurses in western New York, who were surveyed via written questionnaire regarding electronic communication, most often described their comfort in using this medium as uncertain. This finding supports the need for preliminary preparation focusing upon the skills and experience needed to utilize the computer as a communication medium.