The 2017 Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics (SINI), held July 11 to 14, marked the 27th year for this innovative conference. Several hundred nurses and other informatics professionals convened on the campus of the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore or via live Web streaming to celebrate this event, attend educational sessions, and network with colleagues. The "Mini-SINI," which provided a forum for registrants to meet as a group in their own healthcare organizations, view Web cast lectures, and participate in discussion and activities, was featured again this year. New hands-on opportunities, sponsored by West-Com Nurse Call Systems, Inc; Comm-Tronics; and Surgical Safety Scanner, were available to learn about specific vendor products as part of a "Lunch and Learn" experience. With support from our major sponsors, the University of Maryland Medical Center, the University of Maryland Medical System, Infor Healthcare, and the Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honors Society for Nursing, SINI 2017 explored the integration of the Internet of Things in clinical practice to enhance health, support the healthcare environment, and improve health management and outcomes at the individual, system, and population levels.
Two popular preconference workshops were offered again this year. Eun-Shim Nahm, PhD, RN, FAAN; Kristin Seidl, PhD, RN; and Cyd Charisse Villalba, MS, RN-BC, PMP, facilitated a hands-on workshop on data analytics, providing a toolkit on how to use analytics in practice. A Nursing Informatics Certification Review course, a concurrent offering, was presented by Charlotte Seckman, PhD, RN-BC, CNE, and Marisa Wilson, DNSc, MHSc, RN-BC, CPHIMS, FAAN. National leaders in the field of informatics provided insight and direction through plenary sessions and distinguished lectures throughout the week.
Chris Gibbons, MD, MPH, from the Federal Communications Commission and the chief executive officer of the Greystone Group, opened the conference with an exhilarating address on digital health, health innovation, and the underserved. The final presenter of the day was Dina Demner-Fushman, MD, PhD, from the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications at the National Library of Medicine, with a discussion on natural language processing and the impact on consumer health, the Internet, and decision-making. Diane Mahoney, PhD, RN, FAAN, Director of Gerontechnology at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, School of Nursing, opened day 2 with a motivating presentation on engaging geriatric patients and caregivers with technology innovations. This was followed by Dr David Newman-Tokar, professor of neurology and Director of the Division of Neuro-Visual and Vestibular Disorders at Johns Hopkins University, with a riveting presentation on ideas for how health informatics can improve diagnostic safety and quality. Malinda Peeples, MS, RN, CDE, Vice President of WellDoc and Mobile Diabetes Management, opened day 3 with practical thoughts on leveraging the power of digital health data for chronic diseases. The conference closed with Rosalind Picard, ScD, FIEEE, Director of Affective Computing Research and professor at MIT Media Laboratory, with a powerful endnote presentation on wearable and noncontact sensors and analytics to improve health.
Interspersed with the distinguished lectures were 36 invited and peer-reviewed podium presentations and 17 peer-reviewed poster presentations. Participants could choose from four different concurrent tracks to meet their learning needs. A special track for informatics novices was offered for those who were new to the profession and wanted to learn essential knowledge and skill sets for clinical informatics. In addition, experts presented and facilitated think tanks that explored big data challenges related to population health and health information exchange.
Participants enjoyed networking and social events that included a welcome luncheon with roundtable discussions on current and emerging topics, a networking reception, a buffet luncheon during the Lunch and Learn events, and several tour offerings to include the simulation laboratories, Nursing Museum, and Shock Trauma. Overall, the essence of SINI is found in the commitment to provide quality educational content, expert presenters, and opportunities for participants to network in a collegial environment. In addition, we received numerous excellent abstracts that were carefully reviewed and scored by an 18-member planning committee. Awards were given to the highest rated abstracts for posters and podium presentations for research and practice along with a People's Choice Award selected by attendees. The award winning abstracts are presented on the following pages.