Information Systems for Nursing Documentation

Nursing documentation is an integral part of clinical documentation and is a fundamental responsibility of the nursing industry. However, the transition from handwritten to electronic nursing documentation is a challenge among healthcare professionals. Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to record basic issues related to the introduction and acceptance of electronic nursing documentation systems in healthcare. Method: The Greek and international literature is thoroughly studied on this subject and a case study on the obstacles to the introduction of such a system is presented in Erlangen, Germany. Literature review was performed using Google Scholar and PubMed electronic databases. Results: The perception of nurses and health service provider managers regarding electronic nursing documentation is the most important indicator for the adoption of such a model. However, for proper implementation it is necessary to cooperate among the members of the interdisciplinary health team, to constantly enrich nurse’s knowledge, to constantly check and evaluate staff, to systematic feedback to improve clinical practice, to understand the needs of the patients and compliance with the quality assurance criteria. Conclusions: Information and communication technologies have penetrated to a significant extent in the health sector. Therefore, studying the incentive and inhibitory factors in the adoption by health providers of an electronic nursing documentation system will provide important insight into how these systems are designed and how these systems are introduced to healthcare providers.