Abstract
Expanding use of complex patient information management systems and communication technology in healthcare organizations requires nurses to possess core competencies that until recently were notconsidered as integral to practice as those of astrictly clinical nature. Organizational changes necessary to formally integrate informatics competencies into nursing practice require strong partnerships among facility nursing leaders, educators, and informaticists. The authors describe a strategic initiative one acute care organization used to develop nursing practice that ensures use of system tools to manage patient information, support clinicaldecision making, optimize workflow, and communicate with members of the care team. The initiative involved defining nursing computer and informatics management skills for the clinical system applications and technologies utilized in the organization and integrating the introduction, evaluation, and on going professional development of the defined informatics competencies into organizational processes and tools to support the bedside nurse.