1. Chapter 9 Informatics and Community Health Nursing

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

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

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

5. Sources of Information
Direct observation
Word of mouth
Print
Internet

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. Health Databases
MEDLINE
CINAHL
PsycINFO
ERIC

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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. Sources for Successful Searching
Boolean searching
Search engines
Directories

23. 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

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

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