Oncology Nurse Informaticists: An Evolving Role to Support Nursing Practice

Nursing informatics is an evolving field in the burgeoning context of technologic and digital advances in health care. Nurse informaticists are integral in translating these advances into evidence-based clinical practice to improve the quality and safety of patient care and professional practice. This article describes the role and operationalization of nurse informaticists in the oncology setting. A case study is presented to exemplify how nurse informaticists can lead interprofessional teams in evaluating opportunities for process or quality improvement and implementing and evaluating digital solutions to improve oncology care.

AT A GLANCE

• Nurse informaticist is an evolving role that leverages technologic advances to support clinical practice.
• Nurse informaticists have many opportunities to enhance the care of individuals with cancer across practice settings.
• Building efficient, effective patient- and nurse-centered workflows can improve patient care delivery and the comprehensive nature of information in the patient’s health record.