Impact of a Nursing Information System on Practice Patterns in Taiwan

Methods used to examine technology in relation to the quality of nursing work in acute care: A systematic integrative review

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To systematically locate, assess and synthesise research to describe methods used to examine technology in relation to the quality of nursing work in acute care. Specific objectives were to (a) describe the types of nursing work examined; (b) describe methods used to examine technology in nursing work; (c) identify outcomes used to evaluate technology in relation to the quality of nursing work; and (d) make recommendations for future research.

BACKGROUND

New technologies can offer numerous benefits to nurses; however, it is challenging to evaluate health information technologies in relation to the quality of nurses' complex day-to-day work.

DESIGN

A systematic integrative review using a five-step process.

METHODS

Five databases were searched using search terms "nurs*," "workload," "task," "time." Data screening, extraction and interpretation were conducted independently by at least two authors and agreement verified by discussion. Data extraction followed PRISMA guidelines.

RESULTS

Of the 41 studies included, most (87.8%, n = 36) examined physical dimensions of nursing work; 31.7% (n = 13) organisational dimensions; 17.1% (n = 8) cognitive dimensions; and only 12.2% (n = 5) emotional dimensions. More than half (58.5%, n = 24) examined only one dimension; one captured all four dimensions. Most frequently examined technologies were electronic medical/health records (36.5%) and electronic medication management (19.5%). Direct observation (58.8%, n = 28) and multiple methods (19.5%, n = 8) were the most common methods; nurse tasks, frequency, duration and time distribution were variables most often measured.

CONCLUSIONS

Examinations of technology in nursing work often failed to capture the multiple dimensions of this work nor did they recognise the complexity of day-to-day nursing work in acute care. There is a paucity of literature to inform how and what technology should be measured in relation to the quality of nursing care.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The outcomes inform useful research methods to comprehensively examine technology to enhance the quality of complex nursing work.

The role of nursing informatics on promoting quality of health care and the need for appropriate education

In today's dynamic health systems, technology plays an important role in education and nursing work. So it seems necessary to study the role of nurses and highlight the need for appropriate information technology educational programs to integrate with the ever-increasing pace of technology. A review accompanied by an extensive literature search in databases and a library search focused on the keywords were used. The criteria used for selecting studies primarily focused on nursing informatics and the importance of expertise in the effective use of information technology in all aspects of the nursing profession. In a critical assessment of emerging technologies, the key elements of nursing informatics implementation were considered as healthcare promotion, advanced systems, internet and network. In view of the nature and the development of the information age, it is required to receive necessary IT training for all categories of nurses. Due to the fast development of technology, in order to effectively take advantage of information technology in nursing outcome and quality of health care and to empower nurses; educational arrangement is recommended to set short-term and long-term specialized courses focusing on four target groups: studying, working, graduate, senior undergraduate, and graduate doctoral. The result of this study is expected to assist educational providers with program development.