Review of Nursing Informatics in 2006

FALL 2006

Editorial

By June Kaminski, RN MSN PhD(c), Editor in Chief

As each year goes by, new initiatives in nursing informatics help to forge an awareness of the importance of the field, as well as a comfort in using technology, especially information and communication technologies (ICTs) in nursing. In 2006, some more concrete and powerful initiatives have occurred. One major initiative has been the development of the NurseONE nursing portal by the Canadian Nurses Association. NurseONE is a national, bilingual web-based health information service for the Canadian nursing community. The goal of NurseONE is to provide quick access to quality, up-to-date health-care information to support the 250,000+ nurses in Canada deliver effective, evidence-based care and help them manage their careers, regardless of where or when they work.

Over the last two decades Canadian leaders in nursing informatics have discussed and conceptualized a nation wide nursing informatics strategy that would benefit all nurses and nursing students. In 2006, the Canadian Nurses Association launched the Canadian Nurses Portal Project, shortened to NurseONE to address this vision, in the form of a e-nursing strategy. “The purpose of the e-nursing strategy is to guide the development of ICT initiatives in nursing to improve nursing practice and client outcomes” (Canadian Nurses Association, 2006, p. 7).

Initial goals of this e-nursing strategy include:

• advocating for nurses’ access to ICT and the resources required to integrate ICT into nursing practice;
• supporting the development and implementation of nursing informatics competencies among the competencies required for entry-to-practice and continuing competence; and
• advocating for the involvement of nurses in decision-making about information technology and information systems. (Canadian Nursing Association, 2006, p. 10).

Visit NurseONE at: http://www.nurseone.ca/

As well, in 2006, this Journal, the Canadian Nursing Informatics Journal (CJNI) was launched by the CNIA. The Mission of the CJNI is to provide a peer-reviewed venue for members of the Canadian Nursing Informatics Association, and other researchers who work with Nursing Informatics to disseminate their research, essays, reviews, presentations, multimedia and other digital publishable materials on a global scale. In the coming months and years, the CNIA intend to develop the CJNI into a dynamic vehicle to express the voice for Nursing Informatics that is championed by the association and lived by many nurses both in Canada, and around the globe.

Several other ongoing initiatives were either continued or begun, with the intention of being activated in 2007 and beyond. These include:

• Ongoing work by select CNIA executives on the HI:NC (Health Information: Nursing Components) nursing data classification development
• Ongoing work on the development of the national Electronic Health Record
• Planning for the 2007 Second National Nursing Informatics Conference
• Canadian representation in the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA)
• Bid proposal planning for hosting the NI2012 Conference
• Strategies and initiatives to offer CNIA members related to added membership value, scholarships, and educational opportunities

2006 has been a good year for the CNIA and we look forward to an even more productive 2007. We wish all of our members the very best of the Holiday Season and look forward to sharing a wonderful New Year with you all.

CJNI Editor In Chief,
June Kaminski

Reference
Canadian Nurses Association. (2006a). E-nursing strategy for Canada. Ottawa: Author.