Objectives

 

 

  • Describe nursing informatics development in region
  •  Identify the use of information technology in clinical practice
  • Describe educational and distance learning efforts
Keywords

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Nursing informatics

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Clinical informatics

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Training and education

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->NIEn/UNIFESP

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Terminology

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->ICNP- Brazilian version

 

 

 

 

 

Nursing Informatics in 13 South America countries has been based more on activities of individuals than on a policy established by governments or national efforts. Computers are considered an important tool to help nurses take care of patients and to organized nursing service and nursing education. The objective of this chapter is to present an overview of the development of nursing informatics in South America.

 

 

 

 

 

Background:

 

 


<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Today’s technology causes significant modification of human activities and consequently of the way we learn and work. Traditional methods of teaching, managing and practicing a profession do not support the requirements of modern life anymore.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Technology plays an important role in facilitating access to information because for the information to be useful and meaningful, it has to be timely.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->More people are able to connect to the internet that is telecommunication resource with no parallel to fast exchange data and information.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->A study performed by the Pan America Health Organization/World Health organization (1998) showed that information society Index, based on the use of information, computer, and social infrastructure, is evolving rapidly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nursing Informatics Initiatives

 

 

The hospital sector can be considered the area better serve by the information systems. Countries like Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, and Paraguay have clinical information systems in hospitals or health institute. Hospitals have been working to design their own systems in order to attend to specific needs and policies. Many additional initiatives are spread throughout the Latin America countries. It can be observed that the use of computers as an instrument to support nurses’ activities in taking care of patients. Nurses are becoming more involved with the design, implementation and evaluation of clinical information system.

 

 

 

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Distance Learning and the educational Perspective in Nursing Informatics.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Technology is transforming not only nursing practice but also nursing training and education models.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->They had to become computer literate in order to use computer technology in an efficient manner.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Teaching how to use computer applications, course instructors also considered the use of computers to teach nursing content.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Formal education program in nursing informatics, such as specific nursing informatics specialization and master of doctoral course is also being provided.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Latin American countries are investing a significant effort to prepare professionals in health informatics.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->During the implementation of this training program, different region of Brazil were reach, delivering courses that were previously given in Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->The Brazilian Council of Telemedicine was established in 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

Nursing Terminology and Documentation

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Sharing and communicating information is essential to make decisions and deliver care. Exchange of information requires the communicating parties to agree on a communicating channel, an exchange protocol, and a common language. The language includes an alphabet, words, phrases, and symbols that express and assign meaning, understood by users.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->In 1990, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) initiated a long term project to develop an International classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP) with the objective to establish a common language about nursing practice to be use for describing nursing care for people in a variety of settings.

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->§  <!--[endif]-->Other terminologies are also beginning used in the country, including Home Health Care Classification (HHCC) system developed by Saba (1992, which is also available on the internet in Brazilian Portuguese version.