Computers In Nursing

As computers continue to become more common in the health care industry, computer literacy has become an integral part of the nursing profession. Selected Book of the Year by the American Journal of Nursing in its first edition, this book continues to provide an introduction to computer technology for nurses.

A handbook especially for nurses and other health professionals. It assists in navigating through online nursing references, shows what's there and how to access it.

The best selling nurses' guide to understanding and using computers in the workplace--now revised and completely up-to-date. New edition discusses the increasing use of specialized software within nursing curriculums. Examines use of the Internet as a powerful research tool; the way computers are changing the practice of nursing and the NCLEX; telemedicine; and more.

Since its first publication in 1988, this guide has established itself as the premier reference text in the field for all health care professionals seeking an up-to-date review of the role of information technology in the nursing profession. The second edition of this seminal work goes on to address the growth and evolution of the nursing informatics discipline as well as the impact of the rapid and far-reaching changes in IT and in health care. In addition to a new section on integration, this edition includes all-new chapters on subjects such as: the national health information infrastructure; reengineering health care and business processes; electronic resources for nursing; usability concepts and the clinical workstation; ubiquitous computing and the nurse; information management and long-term care; the information needs of nurse-managed centres; critical path/care map and case management needs; large databases and their implications for planning and health policy; virtual reality; and defining the informatics nurse specialist.

Nurses and computers are increasingly becoming partners in health care. This comprehensive introduction to computers provides a foundation in computer basics and applications to nursing education and practice. It seeks to prepare students to use computers in their careers as learners and provide concepts that the future nurse will use in clinical practice.

Nursing, like other health-related professions, is information-inten sive. The quality of care a patient receives is based on the soundness of judgment exercised by the health care team. Underlying sound judg ment is up-to-date information. Unless nurses have access to accurate and pertinent information, the care being rendered will not be of the highest standard. What is required is not necessarily more rapid and efficient informa tion services. Modern technology can process immense amounts of data in the blink of an eye. What we in the health professions need are information systems that are more intelligent, systems that can inte grate information from many sources, systems that analyze and syn thesize information and display it so that it may be applied directly in patient care-in other words, information that answers a question or even gives practical advice. In order to accomplish such objectives, work is needed to establish the scientific and theoretical basis for the use of computing and infor mation systems by health professionals. This is the research com ponent. In addition, there is the need for continued development and evaluation of practical information systems.