The Perception of Nursing Students with the Integration of Nursing Informatics

For nursing students

Study summary

This article, a basic qualitative dissertation by Danielle Baker completed in January 2021, delves into the experiences of senior-level prelicensure nursing students with various forms of nursing informatics integrated throughout their educational journey. The study was motivated by an identified gap in existing literature concerning the comprehensive perspective of nursing students regarding these technological tools. At its core, the research sought to understand how these students perceive the integration of nursing informatics into their program of study.

To achieve this understanding, Baker posed four specific subquestions: Firstly, what experiences have senior-level prelicensure nursing students had with different forms of nursing informatics? Secondly, what benefits did they see in using these various tools and systems? Thirdly, what challenges or difficulties have they encountered while working with nursing informatics? And finally, how did they apply their knowledge of nursing informatics throughout their nursing education?

The study involved interviewing a sample of 10 senior-level prelicensure nursing students. These participants represented both associate degree program and baccalaureate degree program cohorts, ensuring a diverse range of educational backgrounds within the target group. The interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview guides that incorporated research-designed open-ended questions. This methodological choice was crucial for gathering rich, detailed responses about the students' personal experiences with nursing informatics.

Through careful data analysis, Baker identified four main themes emerging from the participants' narratives: The first theme was **Exposure to Nursing Informatics**. Students reported varying levels and types of exposure to different forms of informatics throughout their education. This highlighted a potential inconsistency in how deeply these tools were integrated across curricula.

The second theme, **Challenges Related to Nursing Informatics**, revealed several difficulties students faced. These challenges included technical issues with the software or hardware, a perceived lack of adequate training for certain applications, and sometimes confusion about when or how to use specific informatics resources effectively in their learning tasks.

A third prominent theme was that **Nursing Informatics is Quicker/Ease of Access**. Many students found that using nursing informatics tools made various academic and clinical simulation tasks faster and easier than traditional methods, suggesting a significant efficiency gain for those comfortable with the technology.

The fourth and final main theme identified was that **Nursing Informatics is Helpful to Nursing Education**. Overall, despite encountering challenges, the use of nursing informatics was generally seen as beneficial for their learning experience. It provided access to information, supported clinical decision-making in simulated scenarios, and prepared them for technology-driven healthcare environments.

The findings from this study suggest that while there are clear benefits to integrating nursing informatics into education—such as improved efficiency and enhanced learning opportunities—there is also a need for more comprehensive training and support. The research indicates that students may require additional guidance to fully leverage these tools and overcome the challenges they encounter, ensuring that their positive perceptions translate into effective use.

Future research in this area should focus on understanding how senior-level prelicensure nursing students perceive telehealth forms of nursing informatics specifically. This would build upon Baker's work by exploring a rapidly evolving aspect of healthcare technology.

For nursing students themselves, this study underscores the importance of being prepared for and comfortable with using various forms of technology in their future careers. It highlights that while these tools can be incredibly helpful, they may require additional training to use effectively, thereby enhancing both learning outcomes and readiness for practice. As a nurse-in-training or even an experienced practitioner reflecting on one's own journey, you would reason from this evidence by considering how your personal experiences align with those reported here. This reflection could prompt thoughts about what kind of support systems, resources, or training methodologies might help improve the integration of nursing informatics into education and ensure students are well-equipped to handle these technologies in their professional roles.

When appraising this study for its academic value, several factors should be considered. The methodology employed—qualitative interviews—is appropriate for exploring perceptions and experiences in depth. However, it is important to note the relatively small sample size of 10 participants; while sufficient for generating rich thematic data within a qualitative framework, findings may not be generalizable to all nursing students across different institutions or educational programs without further research. The study provides valuable insights from student perspectives but does not offer quantitative data on outcomes such as improved clinical performance directly attributable to informatics training, nor does it explore long-term impacts of this education on practice.

Regarding source rights and permissions: This dissertation is available through ProQuest LLC with specific reproduction restrictions noted in the metadata. The full text may be obtained via telephone or web page provided by Proquest (800-521-0600; http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml). It's important to respect these copyright notices and any associated permissions when using information from this study for academic, research, or other purposes.

For educators

Teaching and appraisal notes

This qualitative doctoral dissertation, authored by Danielle Baker in 2021 and accessible via ProQuest LLC (ED669173), investigates senior-level prelicensure nursing students' perceptions of integrating nursing informatics into their education. The research aimed to address a gap in literature regarding the comprehensive perspective of these students on various forms of nursing informatics.

The study employed semi-structured interviews with 10 participants from associate and baccalaureate degree programs, asking open-ended questions designed to elicit detailed experiences. Data analysis identified four key themes: exposure to nursing informatics (varying levels across the curriculum), challenges related to its use (technical issues or insufficient training in specific areas), perceived benefits such as quicker/easier access to information and resources, and an overall view of nursing informatics as helpful for educational purposes.

The findings indicate that while students generally found nursing informatics beneficial, they also encountered significant challenges. The study underscores the need for more comprehensive training in this area. A notable limitation is its small sample size (10 participants), which may limit generalizability. Additionally, the qualitative nature of the data means it provides rich insights but lacks quantitative measures or long-term outcome tracking.

For nursing educators and administrators, these findings highlight critical areas for curriculum development: ensuring adequate training in various informatics tools, addressing technical challenges students face, and exploring how to better integrate telehealth forms of informatics into prelicensure education. The study also serves as a valuable resource for understanding student perspectives on technology integration, which can inform pedagogical strategies and support systems.