HISTORICAL

PERSPECTIVES OF
NURSING AND THE
COMPUTER
Computer is the most powerful technological tool
to transform the nursing profession prior to the
new century.
Today and tomorrow the computer and internet
are essential for all settings were nurses function-
hospitals, ambulatory care centers and schools of
nursing.
Major historical
perspectives of nursing and
computers

Computer technology emerge in

nursing in response to the changing
and developing technologies in the
health care industry and in nursing
practice.
How it started?

Prior to 1960s
- there were only a few experts who formed a
cadre of pioneers that attempted to adapt
computers to health care and nursing.
- the image of nursing was improving

-computers were used for basic
business office functions
- used punch cards to store data and
card readers to read computer programs,
sort, and prepare data for processing.
1960s
-uses of computer technology in health care
setting began to be uestioned.
-nurses station in the hospital was !iewed as
the hub of information e"change.
-during this period, computer technology
ad!anced, while the number of health care
facilities increased.
- -introduction of cathode ray tube terminals,
online data communication, and real time
processing added important dimensions to the
computer system.
- hospital information systems were
developed primarily to process financial
transactions and serve as billing and
accounting systems.
- vendors of computer systems were
beginning to enter the health care field.

19!0s
- continued integration of computers into
nursing.
- improvement of documentation
"nurses chart, vital signs, etc.#
-
-mainframe $%& were designed and develop
management of care
- during this period, several states and large
community health agencies developed.

19'0s
- the field of informatics emerged in the
health care industry and nursing.
- updates on practice standards
- mainframe $%&s emerged with
nursing subsystems.
-discharged planning system were
developed and used as referrals to
community health care facilities.
-microcomputer or personal computer "(C#
emerged.

1990s
-computer technology became an
integral part of health care settings, nursing
practice, and the nursing profession.
-during 199), *% was approved by the
+merican *urses +ssociation "+*+# as a
new nursing specialty.
-smaller and faster computers-laptops and
noteboo,s arise
- wor,stations, local area networ,s "-+*s# and
wide area networ,s ".+*s# were developed.
- introduction of internet

(ost )000
- torrid pace of hardware and software
development and growth
- wireless point-of-care developed
-clinical information systems became
individuali/ed in the electronic patient record
"0(1# and lifelong longitudinal record or the
electronic health record "0$1#
-personal digital assistance "(2+# and smart
cellular telephones continued to advanced
- use of 3oice over internet protocol "3o%(#
-
-critical care units are monitored remotely by health
care provides "e%C4#
- 5elenursing is increasing in popularity and
providing patient care in an efficient and expeditious
fashion.
- health insurance portability and +ccountability +ct
of 1996 "$%(++# was enacted.
Four major nursing
areas

*ursing practice

*ursing administration

*ursing education

*ursing research
Nursing practice

%t become a integral part of the 0$1

0merged with the introduction of several

nursing terminologies that were recogni/ed
by the +*+ .

5hey are use to assess problems,

document care and etc.
Nursing administration

*ursing administration has also changed with

the introduction of the computers that lin,s
nursing department together.

%nternet is being used by nurses to accessed

digital libraries, online resources and research
protocols at bedside
Nursing education
6ost universities and schools of nursing
offer computer in enhancing courses,
online courses and or distance education
-ive classroom lectures via digital
telephone lines arise.
Nursing research

(rovides the impetus to used the computer for

analy/ing nursing data.

&oftware programs are available for processing

both 7uantitative and 7ualitative research data.

Computer technology data bases supporting

nursing research emerged
Standards initiatives
*ursing practice
*ursing data
$ealth care data
standards
Nursing practice standards

2eveloped and recommended by the +*+

5hey recommended that nursing process serve as

a conceptual framewor, for the documentation of
nursing practice.

8oint commission on accreditation of hospital

organi/ations which stressed the need for
ade7uate records on patients in hospitals practice
standards
Nursing data standard

0merged as a new re7uirements for 0$1

19 nursing terminologies that have been

recogni/ed by the +*+

Critical care classification system

*ursing information classification

Health care data
standards organizations

%t is a critical review the standards

organi/ations that have emerged to either
develop or recommend health care data
standards that should be recommended to
the federal government as re7uired health
care data standards

%ntroduced 9: years ago

5he landmar, events were describe by the

following categories;
-early conferences, meetings
-0arly academic initiatives
-%nitial +*+ initiatives
-%nitial national league for nursing initiatives
-0arly international initiatives
-%nitial educational resources
-&ignificant collaborative events
THE EN!!!!!!!!!! "