Nursing informatics integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge in nursing practice. It facilitates the integration of these elements to support patients, nurses, and other providers in decision-making across all roles and settings through the use of information technology and structured information. An international definition also views nursing informatics as the integration of nursing, its information and management, with information processing and communication technology to support global health. While nurses had incorporated informatics concepts earlier, the ANA officially designated it a specialty in 1992 and developed scope and standards of practice to guide the field.

1. A New Definition for Nursing Informatics
Nursing informatics, as defined by the American Nurses Association (ANA), is a specialty that
integrates nursing science, computer science and information science to manage and
communicate data, information and knowledge in nursing practice. Nursing informatics
facilitates the integration of data, information and knowledge to support patients, nurses and
other providers in their decision-making in all roles and settings. This support is accomplished
through the use of information technology and information structures, which organize data,
information and knowledge for processing by computers.1
An international viewpoint was adopted at the 1998 meeting of the International Medical
Informatics Association Workgroup on Nursing Informatics in Seoul, Korea: Nursing informatics
is the integration of nursing, its information and information management with information
processing and communication technology, to support the health of people worldwide.
Informatics is modeled after the French word informatique and was first used as medical
informatics in the late 1970s, followed by use in nursing in the 1980s. The ANA designated
nursing informatics as a specialty practice in 1992, although nurses had earlier incorporated
informatics concepts. Subsequently, volunteer ANA members have developed a scope and
standards for practice, which serves as guides for the practice.2,3
The standards of practice created by the ANA in 1995 reflect professional performance common
to informatics nurses. For example, the informatics nurse contributes to the professional
development of peers, colleagues and others.3 In 1995, a certification examination was created
at the generalist practitioner level and since that time more than 400 nurses have been certified
in nursing informatics.
Using Information Management
All nurses can utilize information management concepts to help identify, collect and record data
pertinent to nursing care. Regardless of the practice setting - clinical practice, administration,
research or education - technology can be used to support nursing in direct and indirect care

2. practice.
The beginning nurse needs to have basic competencies such as computer literacy and protecting
confidentiality of health care information while using the information system. The experienced
clinician builds on the competencies of the beginning nurse and also must be able to identify
data elements necessary for practice and documentation activities. The informatics specialist
needs to possess knowledge of the system life cycle, which is initiation, development,
implementation and operation of the information system; hardware and software, process
design, systems analysis and project management. The highest level of ability and knowledge for
an informatics nurse is that of innovator. The innovator may create informatics theory or new
knowledge.4