Comparison of Two Nursing Informatics Pioneers
The theory for Nursing Informatics began with Florence Nightingale who stated “In attempting to arrive at the truth, I have applied everywhere for information, but in scarcely an instance have I been able to find hospital records fit for any purpose of comparison” (Nightingale, 1863; Ozbolt & Saba, 2010, p. 199). As the field of Nursing Informatics has evolved, many informatics nurses have made substantial contributions to the quality and safety of health care. A discussion of two nursing informatics pioneers will serve as a framework to highlight some of these contributions.
Virginia K. Saba, Honorary PhD, DS, RN, FAAN, FACMI, LL Professional Accomplishments …show more content…
Saba’s discussion of how she pursued more knowledge in the area of information technology and earned her advanced degrees is relatable to many nurses. Nurses may not be able to select the technology with which they work. Dr. Saba’s motivation to obtain additional knowledge to be able to conduct research and complete her job is an excellent example of how nurses can overcome obstacles to advance nursing and improve patient outcomes. Skill or ideas demonstrated that could be applied to professional …show more content…
I look at a situation and I say, “Oh, here’s an opportunity to do something about providing nurses with the information they need to do their practice,” or structuring situations that make it easy for nurses to do the right thing and hard for them to do the wrong thing – or just get the clutter out of the way so they can do the job. (American Medical Informatics Association [AMIA], 2011, p. 11) Skill or ideas demonstrated that could be applied to professional practice Dr. Ozbolt provided a good perspective on how informatics is transforming health care. She states “It is simply not possible for nurses to give the level of care that they want to give, and that patients need to have, without the proper informatics tools” (American Medical Informatics Association [AMIA], 2011, p. 18). Dr. Ozbolt states there is a need for patients to be able to manage their own care, and that nurses are uniquely qualified to create these resources (American Medical Informatics Association [AMIA], 2011).