INFORMATICS NURSE SPECIALISTS

Informatics Nurse Specialists



The Role of an Informatics Nurse Specialist in a Hospital

Introduction

The healthcare consulting market in the United States is big business. According to Childs, this market is projected to exceed $200 million in the year 2000. Specialty areas for healthcare consultants have been focused increasingly on issues related to automated information systems (IS) such as patient-centered care systems, system integration, needs assessment, system analysis, request-for-proposal development, and system selection and implementation.' A driving force in the growing need for healthcare IS consultants has been the demand for integrated clinical information systems (CIS) that support an interdisciplinary enterprise-wide patient focused continuum of care. The complexity, risks, and high failure rate associated with implementation of these systems have made healthcare settings increasingly reluctant to make CIS purchase decisions without consultant assistance. Part of the CIS failure rate is associated with "vaporware" where vendors have made exaggerated promises about CIS capabilities that have not proven to be accurate (Wears, 2005).' Part of the failure rate also resides with healthcare settings where a lack of clarity about IS vision and strategic directions has resulted in acquisition of CIS that do not support integrated clinical information management needs.

The healthcare IS consultant is perceived to offer a balancing factor in assisting healthcare settings to explore and shape IS vision and strategic plans to ensure the best possible fit between these directions and CIS acquisitions. Healthcare IS consultants typically have provided an array of services that have been delivered through temporary in-house positions or time-limited consultation contracts. These services have focused on such aspects as long-range IS planning, analysis of current IS operations, selection and evaluation of information systems, implementation support, and rescue operations for failed implementations. Given this array of services, selection of an IS consultant can be a challenging task. Published selection criteria generally indicate that an IS consultant's profile should reflect a background of significant experience and recognition in the IS field, relevant academic preparation, and personal characteristics demonstrating that the consultant is challenged by new situations, capable of tailoring recommendations to the needs of clients, has good communication skills, and is an effective change agent. In addition to these criteria, the trend toward implementation of integrated CIS has underscored the need for IS consultants who are also experienced clinicians and bring an understanding of clinical practice requirements to the consultation process (Sharman, 2007).

Discussion

Role of Informatics Nurse Specialist

The need for IS consultants with clinical expertise is propelling informatics nurse specialists (INS) into the IS consulting arena.'' Nurses in general are considered to be qualified for the IS consultant role if they have a master's degree, possess excellent written and oral communication skills, have a good knowledge of systems, are analytical problem solvers, function independently, and have an assertive, creative, and outgoing interpersonal style." The combination of clinical and informatics expertise provides INS with highly marketable skills that make them ideally suited for the IS consultation role. Documents published to define INS role standards indicate that the INS is expected ...