Article 2 (from e-journal portal UKM) : Benefits of nursing information systems: are there any?

This paper describes the background to and contents of a new publication jointly produced by the Department of Health and nurses from the British Computer Society Nursing Specialist Group. It describes the content of a monograph which is about whether nursing information system bring benefits or not.

Actually the purpose of implementing IT is to improve the quality care delivered by the nurses but due to the implementation of inappropriate systems, lack of training/education and unrealistic expectations of what information system and information technology can produce, this has turn out the end result to be unforeseen costs, unfulfilled promise, and a degree of disillusionment. This has been the reason of the monograph.

From the article, I get to know why it is important to have clear objectives set prior to implementation and precise and measurable expected benefits need to be defined when setting up the information system. I also get to know the process of benefits realisation, benefits from care planning functionality, benefits from workload functionality, benefits from workload functionality, benefits from rostering functionality and benefits from drug administration functionality which all involved the nuring informtion system.

In conclusion, every effort should be made to counteract the dearth of evidence to support the introduction of nursing information system. It is also important to make sure that the nursing information systems is bringing advantages but not burden.