Title: How Nurses Are Using Health Informatics to Improve Patient Care - Electronic Health Reporter
Headings: How Nurses Are Using Health Informatics to Improve Patient Care
How Nurses Are Using Health Informatics to Improve Patient Care
Improved Documentation
Reduced Medical Errors
Reduced Costs
Improved Coordination of Care

Content: One area where nurses are putting technology to use is in informatics. Officially known as the study of information, in the world of health care, health informatics is the management of health information. Using electronic medical records, devices that collect health information electronically, and other electronic information standards, health informatics nurses are responsible for managing, interpreting, and communicating the data that comes in and out of health care facilities, all with one primary purpose: Improving the quality of patient care. But how does that happen, specifically? How are nurses using informatics as a way to improve the care they — and their colleagues — provide to patients? As it turns out, there are several key ways that informatics is part of that effort. Improved Documentation
Documentation has long been considered an important part of the nursing profession, but it’s more vital than ever to the delivery of quality care. While the theory and practice of nursing, the standards of nursing practice, legal and ethical considerations, and other points that are taught in advanced nursing programs all influence the practice of nursing, it’s information, and specifically, electronic documentation, that is having the greatest influence on modern nursing. Modern nursing care is driven by individual patient needs and history — information that is collected and organized in electronic patient records.