Work excitement among computer users in nursing

An exploratory study of 268 nurses and their practice patterns has yielded a new dimension of work excitement--computer use. The convenience sample included staff nurses and clinical nurse managers. In this article, individual and organizational characteristics of nurses, their varying computer skills, and levels of work excitement are compared. Using the work excitement tool developed through the Practice Excitement Project, data were collected on self-perceived level of computer skill and work excitement; practice patterns; interest in work; exciting and frustrating experiences when using the computer at work; and overall exciting and frustrating aspects of nursing. Pairwise comparisons revealed that nurses who classify themselves as having expert skills had significantly higher levels of work excitement than nurses who were novices (F = 5.937, p < 0.05), or had no experience with the computer (F = 7.026, p < 0.01). Nurses with intermediate skills also had significantly higher levels of work excitement than novices (F = 5.289, p < 0.05), or non users (F = 5.740, p < 0.05). Computer users were found to be significantly less negative about their work. In addition, nurses overwhelmingly considered the computer a nursing technology capable of making their work easier. This reflects the positive orientation nurses have toward use of computers in nursing. The findings further suggest that the introduction of computers could not only improve unit morale but could also stimulate the learning of new skills related to effective and quality care delivery.