Nursing (NURS) 322

Nursing Informatics (Revision 7)

Revision 7 is closed for registrations, replaced by current version

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Delivery Mode: Individualized study online

Credits: 3

Area of Study: Applied Studies

Prerequisite: Post-LPN BN: Pre-or co-requisite NURS 250.

Precluded Course: NURS 322 may not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for NURS 491.

Faculty: Faculty of Health Disciplines
Centre: Centre for Nursing and Health Studies

NURS 322 is not available for Challenge.

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**Note: Follow directions on the [Undergraduate Course Registration] form to register in the course. Online course materials cannot be accessed prior to your course contract start date.

Overview

Welcome to Nursing 322: Nursing Informatics. In this course you will explore the use of informatics in nursing practice and its role in enhancing client care. You will gain an appreciation of the competencies required of an expert knowledge worker and apply the relevance of those competencies to your day-to-day practice as a nurse. You will also examine issues related to the protection of the privacy, confidentiality, and security of health information and consider the potential utility of a wide array of social networking tools in communicating health-related information.

Learning Outcomes

After completing Nursing 322: Nursing Informatics, you will be able to meet or exceed the following learning outcomes as you:

  • appreciate the concept of nurse as knowledge worker and apply digital literacy competencies in your day-to-day practice;
  • use information and communication technologies and consider how these can be used to enhance client care;
  • explore healthcare information systems and electronic health records and examine their use in the delivery of nursing care;
  • explain the need for protection of privacy, confidentiality and security in the collection and use of health information;
  • examine the use of Telehealth to deliver health care at a distance; and
  • investigate the utility of social media within the contexts of consumer health information, client education, and professional practice.

Course Structure

NURS 322 comprises ten units. Each unit includes a list of learning outcomes, recommended readings, and related learning activities.

  • Unit 1: What is Nursing Informatics?
  • Unit 2: Information & Communication Technologies
  • Unit 3: Navigating the Digital Library
  • Unit 4: Protection of Personal Health Information
  • Unit 5: Electronic Health Record
  • Unit 6: Clinical Information Standards
  • Unit 7: Clinical Decision Support Tools
  • Unit 8: Telehealth
  • Unit 9: Consumer Health Informatics
  • Unit 10: Social Media

Evaluation

To receive credit for NURS 322, students must complete and submit all of the required assignments, including conference participation, and achieve a composite grade of at least “C-”(60 percent). Effective January 1, 2010, all papers submitted must follow the guidelines of the APA Publication Manual (6th ed.) (2010).

The assignments and weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Assignments Weighting
Assignment 1 - Postcard From the Future (Paper) 20%
Assignment 2 - Appropriate Use of Health Information  (Paper) 30%
Assignment 3 - Website Critique (Paper) 30%
Assignment 4 - Conference Forum Participation 20%
Total 100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

NURS 322 does not have a hard copy course package. There is no printed textbook required for this course. All of the materials you require for NURS 322 are accessed online through your AU student access. In addition, multimedia resources (print, audio, and video) are part of the learning activities in the course. Many of these learning resources are Open Educational Resources (OER), which are online resources available to all without cost. 

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.

Opened in Revision 7, March 4, 2016.

View previous syllabus