Crossing Borders: An Online Interdisciplinary Course in Health Informatics for Students From Two Countries.

A cross-countries and interprofessional novel approach for delivering an international interdisciplinary graduate health informatics course online is presented. Included in this discussion are the challenges, lessons learned, and pedagogical recommendations from the experiences of teaching the course. Four professors from three different fields and from three universities collaborated in offering an international health informatics course for an interdisciplinary group of 18 US and seven Norwegian students.

Implementing common data elements across studies to advance research.

Challenges arise in building the knowledge needed for evidence-based practice partially because obtaining clinical research data is expensive and complicated, and many studies have small sample sizes. Combining data from several studies may have the advantage of increasing the impact of the findings or expanding the population to which findings may be generalized. The use of common data elements will allow this combining and, in turn, create big data, which is an important approach that may accelerate knowledge development.

Information technology as a tool to facilitate the academic accreditation process.

The site visit is a crucial component of the academic accreditation process. Many nursing education programs have adopted electronic processes for document management and course delivery. In this article, the authors describe reasons for using an electronic resource room, changes made in document management systems, methods to provide electronic documentation access to site evaluators, and ways to link decisions directly to supporting evidence.

Descriptive data analysis.

This 13th article of the Basics of Research series is first in a short series on statistical analysis. These articles will discuss creating your statistical analysis plan, levels of measurement, descriptive statistics, probability theory, inferential statistics, and general considerations for interpretation of the results of a statistical analysis.

Intra-rater/inter-rater reliability of the air transport minimum data set.

Introduction: The Air Transport Minimum Data Set consists of time-related terms proposed for use during rotor-wing transport. Reliable data collection is vital for monitoring safety, providing medical care, and meeting regulatory standards and financial constraints. The purpose of this research was to conduct a pilot study to investigate the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the ATMDS.

Evaluation of user interface satisfaction of a clinical outcomes database.

Interface design and usability testing are important skills for the informatics nurse. This study used the Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIStrade mark) to evaluate a nurse practitioner outcomes database used to track client variables for evaluating clinical outcomes and for implementing a process improvement project. Five nursing faculty and students were instructed in the use of the database and subsequently evaluated the usability or "ease of use" of the interface (data entry screens).

Modeling and teaching techniques for conceptual and logical relational database design.

This paper proposes a series of techniques to be used in teaching database design. Common ERD notations are discussed. The authors developed an ERD notation, adapted from the Unified Modeling Language, which facilitates student learning of the database design process.

Extension of Air Transport Minimum Data Set to fixed-wing environment.

The Air Transport Minimum Data Set (ATMDS) was developed to address data needs for rotor wing transport of critically ill or injured patients. Using a focus group methodology, nurses, paramedics, pilots, and communications specialists identified additional concepts such as time arrived at airport via ground transportation to represent the complexity present in fixed wing transport. Specific concepts, selected terms for the concepts and definitions will be discussed.

Development of user-centered interfaces to search the knowledge resources of the Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library.

This poster describes the development of user-centered interfaces in order to extend the functionality of the Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library (VHINL) from library to web based portal to nursing knowledge resources. The existing knowledge structure and computational models are revised and made complementary. Nurses' search behavior is captured and analyzed, and the resulting search models are mapped to the revised knowledge structure and computational model.

Language validation of the air transport minimum data set: time-related terms.

Introduction: Transport times, such as time of call, are an essential part of the patient record. The purpose of this study was to validate a previously proposed minimum data set of time-related terms.

Methods: A stratified sample of 508 nurses, physicians, paramedics, pilots, and communication specialists was selected to participate in the validation survey.

The use of aggregate data for measuring practice improvement.

Practice improvements are much needed in health care but are difficult to implement and to measure. Without records that include aggregate data, outcomes cannot be compared. Aggregate data are defined as data not limited to one patient, but data that are tracked across time, across organizations, across patient populations, or across some other variable.

Minimum data set development: air transport time-related terms.

The purpose of this research was to identify, name and define a set of concepts to describe specific times and time intervals relevant to patient transport by helicopter. A list of 206 potential terms was identified from 96 patient records. A purposive sample of experts representing nurses, physicians, paramedics, pilots and communication specialists involved in air transport was selected to participate in a five-round Delphi study conducted by email.

The evolution of definitions for nursing informatics: a critical analysis and revised definition.

Despite the fact that nursing informatics is entering its third decade as a specialty within nursing, many definitions still exist to describe the field. This paper offers a rationale for a definition for nursing informatics and a critical analysis of past definitions. An organizing framework of technology-oriented, conceptual, and role-oriented definitions is used to critique these definitions.