Chapter 9 Informatics and Community Health Nursing

Steps to Using Information Decide what information is needed Obtain the information Organize, synthesize, and communicate the information

How Informatics Can Support Nursing Retrieving patient information Storing information Tracking information

Information in a Bibliographic Database Title Author Source of data Brief summary (abstract)

Sources of Information Direct observation Word of mouth Print Internet

I-Clicker Question Nurses base their care, policies, and procedures on evidence-based research. The best strategies for evidenced-based community health nursing practice come from: Textbooks Experiences of others Sales representatives Electronic databases Journal articles prior to 1998

Answer to I-Clicker Question Answer: d Electronic databases will help you determine the best strategies for evidence-based community health nursing practice.

History of the Internet ARPANET (Department of Defense) Originally used to link research and security agencies in the United States Use later expanded to educational institutions Now available worldwide

Health Databases MEDLINE CINAHL PsycINFO ERIC

MEDLINE Started in 1964 Access to over 11 million documents Articles 1965 to present Available free of charge through an academic library website

CINAHL Started by hospital librarians Offers some full text access Available through medical or academic libraries, or for personal use with a fee Keyword searchable

Information Available from U.S. Census Bureau Community demographic information Annual surveys on economic information Available in narrative, chart, and table form Comparison data to identify demographic changes in communities

I-Clicker Question Census data give the community health nurse all but which of the following pieces of information to enable her to care for her clients? Identify trends Identify patterns Identify the number of physicians Identify characteristics of a community

Answer to I-Clicker Question Answer: c Census data enable the community health nurse to learn about the many characteristics of a community and to identify trends or patterns.

Information Available from the CDC Prevalence of communicable diseases Updates for travelers Immunization information Information on workplace health and safety

National Center for Health Statistics (Under the CDC) Disease information Vital statistics Health insurance facts

State and Local Government Websites Vital statistics Metal health services Housing assistance Health events of the community (births, deaths, marriages) Infectious disease occurrences

City Websites Geographic location of services (fire departments, animal control, etc.) Listings of community health resources (clinic locations, services) Mapping programs

Examples of NGOs That Offer Health Information March of Dimes American Cancer Society

I-Clicker Question Identify the resource that is a non-government source of information. American Cancer Society Medline Plus Centers for Disease Control and Prevention United States Census Bureau DIRLINE

Answer to I-Clicker Question Answer: a Many non-government organizations in the United States offer services and support for a variety of health conditions. For example, the March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society are organizations that provide educational materials about specific conditions within their mission. All other answers represent governmental agencies.

Sources for Successful Searching Boolean searching Search engines Directories

Boolean Searching Mathematical system used in computers that increases the precision of searches Command words include AND, OR, NOT OR enlarges a search AND, NOT narrow a search

Search Engines Change frequently Good sources include public library websites and Search Engine Watch General search engines often have their own directories and browsers

Directories Subject catalogue available on the Internet Provide access to websites Examples include Librarians Internet Index