What is nursing informatics?

Healthcare organizations regularly gather patient data, but what do they do with it? Healthcare professionals understand that nursing informatics affects every stage of the data usage process. People with careers in nursing informatics collect patient data, isolate trends in the data and analyze those trends. The analyses inform more efficient processes that impact patients’ quality of care.

Nursing informatics leverages science and data analytics to collect, sort and analyze patient information. No matter the format patient data takes — electronic medical records, diagnostic tests, even vital signs — nursing informatics helps other medical professionals draw conclusions from data trends that can inform better patient care.

Professionals in nursing informatics often take leadership roles. They may be responsible for staff education on new technologies that include:

• Managing projects
• Improving clinical workflow efficiencies
• Improving patient care
• Assessing department and organizational policies
• Assessing and analyzing healthcare informatics current practice
• Implementing policy surrounding informatics usage
• Leading a culture of safety through the use of informatics and communication

Graduates of nursing informatics programs have knowledge and skills in using data to analyze trends in population health to evaluate healthcare disparities. They can also assess regulatory healthcare technology needs to ensure they are evidence-based and demonstrate improved patient outcomes.

By analyzing large data sets, nursing informatics can help stakeholders identify public health trends and inform policy decisions. Consider the role of informatics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nursing informatics played a role in tracking the virus’s spread. It also informed public health decisions and how to manage resources.

Nursing informatics and statistics can also play a role in life-span forecasting. Physicians, insurance companies, governments and, of course, patients all have a vested interest in improving life expectancy. Nursing informatics can give greater insight into how to decrease population mortality. As more providers collect and share data, it allows for better predictions about patient outcomes.

Current nurses can benefit from expertise in informatics via new career opportunities, whether that’s becoming a nursing director or clinical manager. These roles don’t just influence patient care on a larger scale. They also play a significant part in shaping healthcare’s future in the following ways:

• Personalized medicine: With more data, providers can tailor treatments to individual patients based on their genetic makeup, lifestyle and environment. That personalized approach could increase treatment efficacy and minimize side effects.
• Predictive analytics: Advanced algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns. This could allow for earlier interventions and better patient outcomes.
• Telemedicine: As wearable technology and remote monitor devices become more sophisticated, providers can track real-time patient health and intervene when necessary.
• Improved public health: Large-scale data reveals trends in disease prevalence and helps with public health strategy to control epidemics and pandemics.
• Clinical trials: More data improves the design and execution of clinical trials. This makes them more efficient and accurate.
• Better patient engagement: When patients have more access to their own health data, they can take a more active role in managing their health. This can lead to improved outcomes.

Typically, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is required to work in nursing informatics. This requires interested candidates to first be a registered nurse. Becoming an RN requires graduating from an approved diploma nursing program, earning an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN), or earning a BSN, and obtaining licensure as a registered nurse in at least one state. If an RN has not already earned their BSN, they may choose to enter an RN to BSN program to earn their bachelor’s degree.

If you’re eager to go beyond data collection and basic skills in this field, you may wish to consider a Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Informatics. First, registered nurses must obtain their bachelor’s degree. The master’s degree teaches advanced nursing theory and research to provide the foundation for nurse leaders to help influence the future of nursing and healthcare.

Nursing informaticists maintain a variety of responsibilities. The exact duties of nursing informatics professionals often vary. Common day-to-day duties include the following tasks:

• Collect and store patient data in a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant digital location until it is ready for use.
• Manage communication and information technology development and implementation.
• Drive technology implementation by researching options for improved nursing informatics processes.
• Educate and encourage other healthcare professionals who might benefit from nursing informatics in clinical practice.
• Manage informatics software to collect and store patient data or to identify trends across data sets.
• Determine department or organization technological needs as well as improving existing ones.
• Research latest methods for improving patient care.

Those are just several responsibilities that a professional in nursing informatics may have. There may be more.

Some of the positions along this career trajectory include the following paths:

• Clinical director: Top-tier executives oversee the daily operations and long-term strategic planning for healthcare facilities or multiple departments. They usually manage staff, budgets and administrative tasks. They’re also liaisons between medical staff and upper management. Two potential degrees from University of Phoenix that can help in pursuit of this goal are the Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Informatics and the Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Nurse Administration.
• Clinical manager: Clinical managers often have similar responsibilities to clinical directors, including administrating staff and payroll. Unlike directors, however, a clinical manager usually oversees a single department at an operational — not strategic — level. Most clinical managers have a master’s degree in fields like business administration, healthcare management, public health administration or healthcare administration.
• Nursing director: Nursing directors are high-level professionals who oversee nursing activities in a healthcare facility. Nursing directors manage, direct and coordinate the nursing team to ensure efficient, effective patient care. Some employers prefer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing for this role. In some cases, employers prefer a Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Nurse Administration.