Assessing the Nursing Informatics Competency among Registered Nurses of Selected Hospitals in India

Abstract

Informatics competency has become an essential requirement for nurses to fulfill their professional roles. This pilot study examined the factors affecting informatics competency to help develop strategies to improve nurses' informatics practice. The study was conducted in India to assess the factors affecting nursing informatics competencies among registered nurses. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 35 samples. A questionnaire was designed to collect data on nurses' informatics competency, basic computer skills, attitudes toward computerization, and general characteristics. The data was entered into SPSS16 software and correlation analysis, and regression were carried out.The mean score percentage of total nursing informatics competency was 94.30%. The highest mean score was related to informatics skills (40.30%), followed by computer literacy skills (32.80 %). In addition, informatics competency is mainly affected by education, age, position of job, and frequency of using devices. Nurses had favorable attitudes toward computerization. Significant factors associated with informatics competency were basic computer skills and formal informatics education. The study findings suggest that the enhancement of basic computer skills and incorporation of informatics into formal nursing curricula are needed to improve the nurses' competency in managing and using healthcare information.