Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment

Introduction

The American Nurses Association (ANA) defines nursing informatics as a discipline that
blends nursing science with various analytical and information management sciences to define,
identify, communicate, and manage data, wisdom, knowledge, and information in the nursing
practice (Health Information and Management Systems Society, n.d.). Nursing informatics
supports leaders, consumers, nurses, patients, and interprofessional healthcare teams in making
informed decisions in different healthcare settings to meet desired outcomes. Nurse leaders,
especially informaticists, play a fundamental role in the implementation of health information
technologies, systems, and initiatives, including identifying the need for change, planning the
change by developing appropriate implementational goals, designing initiatives, initiatives,
selecting and training implementation teams, implementing the initiatives, and assessing and
monitoring them to ensure they serve their intended purpose. Despite the central role informatics
plays in bolstering decision-making and improving healthcare outcomes, meaningful and
effective implementation requires that nurse leaders develop or possess specific competencies
and skills, such as ethics, good communication, leadership, quality of practice, collaboration, and
many others. These competencies are highlighted in ANA’s 2014 guideline titled “Nursing
Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice.” As an aspiring nurse informaticists,
understanding and developing these competencies can be the difference between success and
failure in implementing informatics initiatives.
This paper’s purpose is three-fold: (1) to explain what competencies are most integral and
beneficial for my success as a leader in the nursing informatics field, (2) to highlight the
leadership strategies addressed in Standard 11 of the “Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards

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of Practice” that I might employ to build a culture that supports new information technology
initiatives, and (3) to examine whether or not I currently possess these skills and describe the
approaches I might recommend implementing to become competent or more proficient in them.

Competencies Most Important and Beneficial as a Leader
As a nurse informaticist, I believe must-have competencies fall into three main
categories: (1) computer skills, (2) informatics knowledge, and (3) informatics skills. “Computer
competency” includes knowledge in general computer skills (for example the ability to develop
and modify spreadsheets and managing projects with project-management software), systems
(being able to design different programs/apps), and quality improvement (being able to collect
data to track quality and effectiveness of nursing informatics systems or initiatives).
The most integral “informatics knowledge competency” includes skills in data use,
education/training, impact assessment, privacy/security, systems, usability, and data mining. For
example, as a nurse informaticist, I must be fluent in nursing and informatics terminologies, be
able to recognize the capacity for data integration and aggregation (data competency), and
understand how to implement system training programs for health information technology clients
and users and how to develop and plan system training programs. I must also be able to evaluate
the impact of computerized management on leadership responsibilities through program
assessment and interpreting current research, economics, and legislation affecting health IT
(impact competency). Competency in “impact assessment” also means the capacity to evaluate
current limitations and capabilities of technology like electronic health records (EHR) in
organizations, the projected impacts to organizations/patients/clinicians, and the
legal/social/ethical ramifications.

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Since nurse informaticists mostly participate in quality improvement (QI) initiatives or
projects, there is no qualm that I must have project management and “informatics skills” to
meaningfully implement health information systems and technologies. This includes skills in
analysis, data/data structures, system design/development, fiscal management, project
implementation, project management, programming, system selection and maintenance, systems
testing, change management, and leading and training teams. For example, I must be able to
come up with and roll out work plans during system/app development and implementation. I
must also be able to construct data elements pertinent to a specific practice context, apply
techniques and principles of system analysis and computing, and interpret information flow
within organizations.

Appraisal of Leadership Strategies

One of the key ingredients of an effective nurse leader, including an informaticist, is the
ability to build and maintain a culture that supports new health IT initiatives and systems.
Building a supportive culture usually translates to less resistance to new initiatives by users
(clinicians) and a willingness to finance even riskier health IT programs which often take years
for return on investments to be realized. Standard 11 (communication) of ANA’s “Scope and
Standards of Practice” highlights strategies that a nurse leader can leverage to develop and
maintain an organizational culture (values, behaviors, and practices) that embraces and supports
health information technology programs like telehealth and electronic health records (EHRs).
As a nurse leader/informaticist, one of the strategies I might leverage include

 Appraise the leadership strategies, addressed in Standard 11 that you might employ
to establish a culture that supports new information technology initiatives. Be
specific.

Analysis of the Skills and Recommended Approaches

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 Analyze whether or not you currently have these skills. Then, explain approaches
you might recommend implementing to become competent or more proficient in this
skill.