Computer Courses in the Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum in Turkey

Integrating informatics into the BSN curriculum: a review of the literature

Even though health informatics (HI) education is an essential component of the undergraduate nursing curriculum, it remains controversial with no clear consensus on which knowledge and skills should be integrated in a baccalaureate nursing program. The purpose of this review article is to integrate literature on HI education in the nursing curriculum by examining previous and current literature on this topic, synthesizing the findings, and recommending guidelines and future directions for nurse educators. The computerized databases of CINAHL, MEDLINE, ERIC, Academic Search Premier, and Google Scholar were used to generate relevant literature. Nineteen studies published between 2000 and 2010 on HI education were included in this review, and from the critical and synthesis of those reports emerged four overarching themes: (a) lack of consensus on HI education; (b) impact on patient care outcomes; (c) faculty development through organizational collaboration; and (d) global disparities in HI education. Implications for nursing education and patient outcomes in clinical practice are also discussed. Further studies are warranted to promote the understanding and awareness of HI education in undergraduate nursing curriculum.

Comparison of basic computer training strategies and their effects on the level of computer anxiety in Turkish nursing students

The ameliorating influence of different teaching strategies on Turkish nursing students' computer-related anxiety was evaluated in this study. Research data were gathered from a Computer Anxiety Scale before the teaching strategies were put into practice on 134 undergraduate nursing students, and again afterward. Two teaching methods, participative and traditional, were used. Before training, only 64.2% of the participative method group had an e-mail address, and 14.9% had a computer at home. The other group was similar. After training, the participative method group scored significantly lower than did the traditional method group (P > .05). We conclude that nursing trainers should prefer participative teaching strategies to effectively reduce computer anxiety. Participative methods also have a positive effect on human and computer interaction.

Improving information technology competencies: implications for psychiatric mental health nursing

While substantial evidence links information technology (IT) with improved patient safety, care quality, access, and efficiency, nurses must demonstrate competencies in computers, informatics, and information literacy in order to use IT for practice, education, and research. The nursing profession has established IT competencies for all nurses at beginning and experienced levels. Newly revised standards also articulate role-specific expectations for advanced practice nurses. Unfortunately, there is a concern that many nurses may not possess these capabilities and that nurse educators are not prepared to teach them. IT competency evaluations, which have focused predominately on nursing education, indicate novice skill levels for most faculty and students. In numerous studies, again conducted largely in nursing education, significant improvement in IT competencies has been achieved only with intensive interventions. Deficits in IT competencies are a significant concern, because the federal government has mandated full implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) by 2014. EHR will require all nurses to use IT to deliver, document, and obtain reimbursement for patient care. In response to these concerns, two recent initiatives, the "Health Information Technology Scholars (HITS)" and "Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER)" projects, have been launched. By enhancing IT competencies, these projects will enable nurses to use evidence-based practice and other innovations to transform clinical care, education, and research. This report updates psychiatric-mental health nurses on the IT competencies literature, recent enhancement initiatives and innovations, and their implications for the specialty.