Nursing Students' Perception and Educational Needs regarding Nursing informatics

Abstract

nursing informatics is a new specialty in Egypt. It is becoming an important and integral part of healthcare organizations, it affects nursing outcome and quality of health care. Therefore, involving informatics basic knowledge and skills within a nursing education program is recommended to meet the future challenging trends that globally affect nursing workforce. Aim of the study: To assess nursing students' perception and educational needs regarding nursing informatics and suggested course specification. Research Design: Descriptive Cross-sectional design was used in this study. Setting: The study was conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, Beni Suef University. Sample:  Convenient sample (n= 390) of nursing students from different academic levels, encountering in baccalaureate science of nursing program during academic year 2015-2016.  Tools of data collection: 1- Self administered nursing informatics perception questionnaire, 2- Nursing informatics educational needs. Results: revealed that nursing students highly perceived importance of informatics application in education  and health care mean % (90.73% and 86.86% respectively). Main educational needs of nursing informatics include: application of informatics in education, tele-medicine, ethics of informatics and hospital information system  (98.2%, 97.4%, 96.9%, and 96.4% respectively). Conclusion:   nursing students highly perceived importance of informatics application in healthcare and education. There was statistical significant difference between nursing students perception regarding nursing informatics by their academic year, students educational needs include application of informatics in education, tele-medicine, ethics of informatics and hospital information system. Recommendations: Apply suggested course specification design of nursing informatics that is based on the students educational needs, support the faculty of nursing with resources and fund to build appropriate infrastructure necessary to apply nursing informatics, provide faculty teachers with an opportunity to learn and develop skills about nursing informatics in order to prepare them to integrate this course within the curriculum and courses they teach.