Computers and Information Technologies in Psychiatric Nursing

Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, Apr 2007 by Repique, Renee John R

TOPIC. There is an assumption that psychiatric nurses are late adopters of technology because psychiatric nursing has been traditionally viewed as a nontechnological nursing specialty.

PURPOSE. This article will review current nursing literature to outline the value and significance of computers and information technologies to psychiatric nursing.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION. Existing bodies of research literature related to computers and information technology for psychiatric nurses.

CONCLUSION. Three areas of psychiatric nursing are identified and the specific advantages and benefits of computers and information technologies in each of these areas are discussed. In addition, the importance of informatics competencies for psychiatric nursing practice is reiterated in order to accelerate its acquisition.

Search terms: Computers, information technology, psychiatric nursing, psychotechnology

The influx of computers and various forms of information technologies has changed the way health care is provided, delivered, and accessed today. Healthcare settings are more and more technologically advanced and Healthcare consumers are also becoming more adept in the use of these technologies. Nurses across all specialties, including psychiatric nursing, are constantly challenged by the continuing shift from traditional to more technologically driven healthcare delivery models. As this trend continues and nascent technological paradigms emerge, it is imperative that psychiatric nurses in various roles and settings understand the value of computers and information technologies so they can begin to utilize and integrate its use into practice.

In this millennium, every nursing specialty can benefit from computers and various forms of information technology by leveraging it to enhance practice, care delivery, and quality of care. In psychiatric and mental health nursing, a clear testament to the significance of computers and information technology is outlined in a report from the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (2003) in which it unequivocally recommended the utilization of information technology to promote mental healthcare access and delivery in this country. But, in order to maximize the benefits of computers and information technology, the author cautions that psychiatric nurses first acknowledge its value. In addition to adroit fundamental skills and knowledge of psychiatric nursing concepts, a set of basic informatics competencies are recommended in order to effectively leverage and incorporate these technologies in contemporary psychiatric nursing practice (Repique, 2004).

In this article, the author intends to specifically address and reiterate the importance of computers and information technologies to psychiatric nursing. The specific uses and applications of computers and information technologies to three major areas of psychiatric nursing, namely, education, practice, and research, will also be discussed. Research studies and scholarly publications related to computers and information technologies is historically limited and underrepresented in the psychiatric nursing literature to date. The author hopes that this article will contribute to this limited body of knowledge and promote the use of computers and information technologies to psychiatric nursing.

Psychiatric Nurses as "Knowledge Workers"

Psychiatric nurses are among the 60% of the U.S. labor force described by Whitten, Bentley, and Dittman (2001) as "knowledge workers," those whose jobs involve the collection of data, processing of information, and development of knowledge (pp. 9-11). In this day and age of information revolution, the voluminous amount of information and the rate at which it is made available poses a significant challenge to psychiatric nurses as knowledge workers. Without the necessary information management tools, knowledge work in psychiatric nursing is not maximized as well as the development or discovery of new knowledge. Thus, the importance of computers and information technologies to the knowledge work involved in psychiatric nursing is paramount and cannot be overstated.

Jones (2000) acknowledged that psychiatric nursing has been significantly transformed by the advent of computers and, in particular, the Internet has changed the way psychiatric nurses and mental healthcare consumers access information. Despite the predictions of various experts (Lakeman, 2000; Pelletier, Poster, Shea, Stuart, & Verhey, 1999; Verhey, 1999), psychiatric nurses continue to lag behind in integrating informatics into the specialty. The scarce body of knowledge in psychiatric nursing regarding the impact of computers and information technologies is concerning given the incessant and exponential growth in the science of healthcare information technology. It is inevitable that computers and information technologies will become a mainstay in psychiatric nursing because mental health care in this country will continue its transformation with information technology as one of the primary drivers.