Ready, Set, Go! Fostering nursing informatics integration into our curricula

Background: The healthcare industry is rapidly evolving, and technology plays an essential role in that transformation. The presence of nursing informatics (NI) in undergraduate nursing curricula responds to the national and international demands for educating digitally competent nurses. Integrating NI into nursing curricula requires nursing schools to have a comprehensive approach to technology readiness to prepare nursing students effectively to work in the digitalised healthcare environment. Aim: This presentation aims to explore factors enabling the integration of NI into undergraduate nursing curricula. Methodology: A holistic multiple-case study approach guided this study. Four case study settings were selected, consisting of four universities offering undergraduate nursing programs in Australia and South Africa. Twenty-one academic faculty members participated in this study. Data sources included interviews, document analysis, and field notes. Data were analysed using content analysis, and the QSR NVivo Software (Version 12) assisted in organising and managing data. Findings: Data emerging from categorical aggregation revealed that the factors enabling the integration of NI included: socialisation to IT, NI champions, support and capacity building, a collaborative partnership between health and education institutions, a technology-driven curriculum, and enabling policies and guidelines. Conclusion: Understanding and being prepared to use technology tools in nursing education and practice is imperative. Technology readiness responds to inequalities caused by digital health adoption and a requirement for NI inclusion into undergraduate nursing curricula.

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National Nursing Forum

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