Professional News 2008

July 2008

Green light for national IT competencies project

Planning is underway for the commencement of a national project to develop, validate and publish Informatics Competency Standards for the nursing profession in Australia. The project aim is to develop competency standards to ensure the continued development of a skilled, capable and informed nursing workforce, able to use the tools that technology provides for the delivery of safer and better integrated patient care.

The ANF Nurses and Information Technology Study (2007), conducted in partnership with the University of Southern Queensland, found that nurses generally are poorly prepared to engage with information technology in their practice. Results showed very few nurses have had any formal IT training. These Informatics Competency Standards will provide a basis for the provision of appropriate contemporary curricula for informatics education and continuing education that is appropriate for the workplace. The integration of informatics skills into nursing practice is fundamental at all levels for nurses in the health system.

It is essential to build workforce capacity in health informatics, based on the best data and available evidence, that will support and advance health care initiatives for the benefit of all Australians. In order to keep pace with Australia’s current e-health agenda, a national approach to the development of competencies in informatics for nurses and integration of these into nursing curricula is a priority.

The project will be conducted by the ANF and funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Research will be conducted by a project team from the Queensland University of Technology led by Joanne Foster. The competency standards will be developed using a literature review; an online survey of nurses; and conducting focus groups held nationally in major centres. The competency standards will be validated by distribution to and feedback from those nurses who participate in the online survey, the focus groups and by an expert panel of nurse informaticians.

The standards will provide nurses with a tool to determine best practice in nursing informatics and assess their IT competence. The project will build nurses capacity to engage with and further the Australian Government’s e-health agenda for the benefit of their patients.

Julianne Bryce
Federal Professional Officer