Many thanks to Carole Gassert for alerting us to the final version

NOTE - Levels 3 and 4 of theInformatics Competencies for Nurses have been omited here because they are beyond the scope of the TICC's charge. 

Results of a Delphi Study to Determine Informatics Competencies for Nurses

at Four Levels of Practice

     The final master list of valid competencies for the four levels of nursing practice is as follows:

Computer Skills - Administration

• Uses administrative applications for practice management (e.g., searches for patient, retrieves demographics, billing data)
• Uses applications for structured data entry (e.g., patient acuity or classification applications)         

Computer Skills – Communication (email, internet, telecommunications)

• Uses telecommunication devices (e.g., modems or other devices) to communicate with other systems (e.g., access data, upload, download)
• Use e-mail (e.g., create, send, respond, use attachments)
• Uses the Internet to locate, download items of interest (e.g., patient, nursing resources)

Computer Skills – Data access

• Uses sources of data that relate to practice and care
• Accesses, enters, and retrieves data used locally for patient care (e.g., uses HIS, CIS for plans of care, assessments, interventions, notes, discharge planning)
• Uses database applications to enter and retrieve information
• Conducts on-line literature searches

Computer Skills - Documentation

• Uses an application to document patient care
• Uses an application to plan care for patients to include discharge planning
• Uses an application to enter patient data (e.g., vital signs

Computer Skills – Education

• Uses information management technologies for patient education (e.g., identifies areas for instruction, conducts education, evaluates outcomes, resources)

Computer Skills-Monitoring

• Uses computerized patient monitoring systems

Computer Skills – Basic Desktop Software

• Uses multimedia presentations
• Uses word processing

§         Demonstrates keyboarding (typing) skills

Computer Skills - Systems

• Uses networks to navigate systems (e.g., file servers, www)
• Operates peripheral devices (e.g., bedside terminals, hand-helds)
• Uses operating systems (e.g., copy, delete, change directories)
• Uses existing external peripheral devices (e.g., CD-ROMs, zip drives)
• Uses computer technology safely

• Is able to navigate Windows (e.g., manipulate files using file manager, determine active printer, access installed applications, create & delete directories)
• Identifies the appropriate technology to capture the required patient data (e.g., fetal monitoring device)
• Demonstrates basic technology skills (e.g., turn computer off & on, load paper, change toner, remove paper jams, print documents)

Informatics Knowledge – Data

• Recognizes the use and/or importance of nursing data for improving practice

Informatics Knowledge - Impact

• Recognizes that a computer program has limitations due to its design and capacity of the computer
• Recognizes that it takes time, persistent effort, and skill for computers to become an effective tool
• Recognizes that health computing will become more common
• Recognizes that the computer is only a tool to provide better nursing care and that there are human functions that cannot be performed by computer
• Recognizes that one does not have to be a computer programmer to make effective use of the computer in nursing

Informatics Knowledge – Privacy/security

• Seeks available resources to help formulate ethical decisions in computing
• Describes patients' rights as they pertain to computerized information management

Informatics Knowledge - Systems

• Recognizes the value of clinicians' involvement in the design, selection, implementation, and evaluation of applications, systems in health care
• Describes the computerized or manual paper system that is present
• Explains the use of networks for electronic communication (e.g., Internet)
• Identifies the basic components of the current computer system (e.g., features of a PC, workstation

Computer Skills - Administration

• Uses administrative applications for forecasting
• Uses administrative applications for budget
• Uses applications to manage aggregated data
• Uses administrative applications for staff scheduling
• Uses administrative applications for maintaining employee records                

Computer Skills – Education

• Uses applications to develop testing materials
• Uses applications for curriculum planning                       
• Evaluates CAI as a teaching tool

Computer Skills-data access       

• Accesses shared data sets
• Extracts data from clinical data sets
• Extracts selected literature resources and integrates them to a personally usable file

Computer Skills-Monitoring

• Applies monitoring system appropriately according to the data needed

Computer Skills-Quality improvement   

• Uses data and statistical analyses to evaluate practice and perform quality improvement

Computer Skills-Research

• Uses computer applications for statistical analysis and nursing research

Informatics Knowledge – Data    

• Supports efforts toward development and use of a unified nursing language
• Promotes the integrity of nursing information and access necessary for patient care within an integrated computer-based patient record
• Provides for efficient data collection

Informatics Knowledge - Research

• Describes general applications available for research

Informatics Knowledge - Impact

• Defines the impact of computerized information management on the role of the nurse

Informatics Knowledge – Privacy/security

• Discusses the principles of data integrity, professional ethics and legal requirements
• Describes ways to protect data

Informatics Knowledge -Systems           

• Describes general applications to support administration (e.g., staffing, budget)                 
• Describes general applications, systems to support clinical care
• Describes general applications to support nursing education                     
• Discusses CAI as a teaching and learning tool

Informatics Skills - Evaluation

• Assesses the accuracy of health information on the Internet
• Assists patients to use databases to make informed decisions

Informatics Skills - Role

• Participates in influencing the attitudes of other nurses toward computer use for nursing practice
• As a clinician (nurse), participates in the selection process, design, implementation, and evaluation of systems
• Acts as an advocate of system users including patients or clients
• Markets self, system or application to others

Informatics Skills – Systems Maintenance

Performs basic trouble-shooting in applications