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Nursing Informatics (NI) is a discipline that works to utilize and integrate information, knowledge, the wisdom of nursing and information technologies to provide evidence-based nursing care. According to, NI was first described by Graves and Corcoran in 1989 and was officially recognized as a specialty role for nurses by the American Nurses Association in 1992. Nurses who meet the requirements may sit for an advanced practice nursing e role certification examination by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, earning the designation of RN-BC (Registered Nurse – Board Certified).

NI draws from information science, computer science, nursing science and cognitive science in order to enhance the clinical decision-making process for nurses. The Evolution of Definitions for Nursing Informatics: A Critical Analysis and Revised Definition. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 255-261.. Through these sciences NI is able to incorporate data analytics, education, research, and quality assurance to understand and evaluate the effectiveness of technology, communications, workflow, and data in nursing practice.

NI uniquely bridges the gap between the core sciences to ultimately improve patient care and outcomes. Also noted in McGonigle & Mastrian, ethical application, to ensure the protection of patients and patient privacy, is noted as one of the building blocks of Nursing Informatics.

Ways that nurses working in this field achieve this focus include standardizing nursing terminologies, promoting system interoperability, as well as designing, implementing, and evaluating clinically relevant technologies. Nursing Informatics also focuses on meeting the needs of those who deliver healthcare as well as those who receive healthcare. The Informatics Nurse also often serves as a liaison between health care professionals and information technologists to develop and optimize technology to the requirements of nurses.

Initial Entry Contributors
Beth Elias, PhD, MS and the Spring 2013 NNI622 students of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, Master's of Science in Nursing Program, Nursing Informatics track: Shelly Chavez, Garnet Grooms, Anjela Homan, Jonett Ivory, Kelli Kirby, Jennifer Laptewicz, Christopher Mazie, Rosalind Pittan, Amy Silver, Amber Sparks.