Physician and Nurse Informatics Collaboration Boosts Clinical Practice, Engagement, and Overall Digital Experience

Authors:
Nelita Iuppa, DNP, M.S., BSN, R.N.-B.C., NEA-B.C., FHIMSS, ACNO Office of Nursing Informatics, Cleveland Clinic & HIMSS NI committee chair
Dr. Srinivasan Suresh, MBA, FAAP, vice president, CIO and CMIO UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh & HIMSS physician committee chair

Executive Summary

Physician and nurse informatics specialists typically practice within their respective disciplines. Little has been published on the power, best practices, and opportunities for these essential resources to train, partner, and collaborate for optimal effect within larger healthcare organizations. But recently, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) Physician and Nursing Informatics leadership committees jointly analyzed these specialties further by evaluating the current and future synergies and possible alignment for physician and nursing informatics.

This white paper reflects on the history and current state of the nurse-physician informatics professional relationship as an opportunity to align and standardize education, role definition and the overall effects of these specialties. This paper also explores the perspectives, commonalities, and opportunities for collaboration between these two specialties in acute care hospital settings. Recommendations and tools are also provided to stimulate strategic reflection on how to best leverage these resources within individual organizations.

“The Patient Safety Council formed at Cerner Corporation (co-chaired by a CMIO) is a great example of collaboration between physician, nursing informaticists and the industry. This council created a matrix to analyze severity and priority of safety issues by modifying the NASA 5x5 risk matrix,” stated Dr. Lu de Souza, vice president & CMO of Oracle Cerner.