The Omaha System as a Structured Instrument for Bridging Nursing Informatics With Public Health Nursing Education: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Advancements in healthcare systems include adoption of health information technology to ensure healthcare quality. Educators are challenged to determine strategies to integrate health information technology into nursing curricula for building a nursing workforce competent with electronic health records, standardized terminology, evidence-based practice, and evaluation. Nursing informatics, a growing specialty field, comprises health information technology relative to the profession of nursing. It is essential to integrate nursing informatics across nursing curricula to effectively position competent graduates in technology-laden healthcare environments. Nurse scholars developed and evaluated a nursing informatics case study assignment used in undergraduate level public health nursing courses. The assignment included an unfolding scenario followed by electronic health record charting using standardized terminology to guide the nursing process. The assignment was delivered either online or in class. Seventy-two undergraduate students completed the assignment and a posttest. Fifty-one students completed a satisfaction survey. Results indicated that students who completed the assignment online demonstrated a higher level of content mastery than those who completed the assignment in class. Content mastery was based on posttest results, which evaluated students' electronic health record charting for the nursing assessment, evidence-based interventions, and evaluations. This innovative approach may be valuable to educators in response to the National Academy of Sciences recommendations for healthcare education reform.