Topic 37: Nursing Informatics in Canada
registries
Introduction
Nursing’s role in managing information in health services
organizations and care facilities in Canada is similar to
other developed countries. The Canadian Nurses
Association (CNA) has taken the position that “registered
nurses and other stakeholders in healthcare delivery
require information on nursing practice and its
relationship to client outcomes. A coordinated system to
collect, store and retrieve nursing data in Canada is
essential for health human resource planning, and to
expand knowledge and research on determinants of
quality nursing care…CNA believes that registered nurses
should advocate and lead in implementing the collection,
storage and retrieval of nursing data at the national level”
(Canadian Nurses Association, 2001)
The focus of nursing informatics in Canada is on the role of
nursing within healthcare organizations.
 In most healthcare organizations, nurses manage
both patient care and patient care units within
the organization
 Like nurses in other countries, Canadian nurses
integrate information from many diverse sources
throughout the organization to provide patient
care and to coordinate the patient’s contact with
healthcare services and facilities.
 In addition, they manage patient care
information for purposes of providing nursing
care to patients.
There is a long-standing tradition that nurses have the role
of custodians of information on behalf of other caregivers
and users of patient information. Nurses must be able to
manage and process nursing data, information, and
knowledge to support patient care delivery in diverse care
delivery settings (Grave and Corcoran, 1989).
Canadians have a unique healthcare system. The belief in
health as a right not as a privilege, or an economic
commodity, but rather as a right for Canadians. This
philosophy is reflected in the principles on which the
provincial health systems in Canada are based and it is
legislated through the Canada Health Act by which all
Canadian provinces abide by. These principles include:
universality, portability, accessibility, comprehensiveness,
and public administration. Health is a provincial
responsibility in Canada, not a federal one.
National Health Information Organizations
Canadian Institute for Health Information
An independent, pan-Canadian, not for profit organization,
established jointly by federal and provincial/territorial
ministers of health, with a mandate to:
 Coordinate the development and maintenance
of a comprehensive and integrated approach to
health information for Canada
 Provide and coordinate the provision of accurate
and timely data and information required for:
 Establishing sound healthy policy
 Effectively managing the Canadian health
system
 Generating public awareness about factors
affecting good health
The core function of CIHI (Canadian Institute for
Health Information, 2002) are to:
 Identify and promote national health
indicators
 Coordinate and promote the development
and maintenance of national health
information standards
 Develop and manage health databases and
 Conduct analysis and special studies and
participate in research
 Publish reports and disseminate health
information
 Coordinate and conduct education sessions
and conferences
CIHI has become an acknowledged and trusted source of
quality, reliable and timely aggregated health information
for use in understanding and improving the management
of the Canadian health systems and the health of the
population of Canada.
Canada Health Infoway Inc.
Incorporated in January 2001 and began its first year of
operation in April 2001. The Infoway mission is “To foster
and accelerate the development and adoption of
electronic health information systems with compatible
standards and communication technologies on a pan-
Canadian basis with tangible benefits to Canadians.The
Corporation will build on existing initiatives and pursue
collaborative relationships in pursuit of its mission.”
Specific objectives of Infoway are to:
 Accelerate the development and adoption of
modern systems of health information and
communication technologies (ICTs)
 Define and promote standards governing shared
data to ensure the compatibility of health
information networks
 Support the adoption of such standards for
health information and compatible
communication technologies for the health
sector in Canada
 Enter into collaborative arrangements as
required with the governments of Canada, the
provinces and territories, corporations, not-for-
profit organizations, and other public and private
partners for the development and adoption of
standards and technologies
 Incorporate standards that protect personal
privacy, confidentiality of individual records, and
the security of health information
 Carry out the work of Infoway in both official
languages
Standard Council of Canada
The Canadian Advisory Council (CAC) on Health Informatics
advises the Canadian Stands Association arm of Standards
Council of Canada (SCC) on matters related to Health
Informatics Standards. SCC is the official Canadian member
of the International Standards Organization (ISO).
The CAC has a dual role:
 To provide technical input to SCC on Health
Informatics standards development in Canada
 To provide feedback about the utility in Canada
of ISO health informatics standards.
The goal of CAC is to harmonize national with international
health information standards, specifically those addressed
by the ISO/TC 215 on Health Informatics.
Obstacles to Effective Nursing Management of
Information in Canada
The major obstacles to more effective nursing
management of information are the sheer volume of
information, the lack of access to modern information
handling techniques and equipment, and the inadequate
information management infrastructure.
 Overall objectives:
Two major aspects of an information infrastructure:  To provide nursing leadership for the
development of nursing/health informatics in
 Software and hardware for modern electronic Canada
communication networks  To establish national networking opportunities
 Absence of appropriate infrastructure to for nurse informaticians
facilitate information management - not limited  To facilitate informatics educational
to data management policies and procedures, opportunities for all nurses in Canada
methods for data stewardship and  To engage in international nursing informatics
custodianship, user training, and information initiatives
management support staff  To act as a nursing advisory group in matters of
nursing and health informatics
Issues Related to Effective Nursing Management of  To expand awareness of nursing informatics to all
Information nurses and the healthcarecommunity

 Lack of adequate educational programs in

information management techniques, and
strategies for nurse clinicians and nursing
managers
 Nursing is frequently underrepresented in the
selection and installation of patient care
information systems and financial management
systems in Canada
 The introduction of computers into healthcare
and nursing environments
 In Canada, there are absolutely no nursing data
elements that are collected and stored
provincially or nationally for use in allocation
Initiatives Directed at the Development of Nursing
Components of Health Information for Use in Canada
In Canada, nurses are in the fortunate position of
recognizing the need for nursing data elements at the time
when the status of national health information is under
review. The challenge for nurses is to capitalize on this
timing and define those data elements required by nurses
in Canada.
To prevent losing control of nursing data, Canadian nurses
must take a proactive stance and mobilize resources to
ensure the development and implementation of a national
health database that is congruent with the needs of nurses
in all practice settings inCanada.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, nursing informatics plays a crucial role in the
Canadian healthcare system, enabling nurses to effectively
leverage information technology to enhance patient care,
clinical decision-making, and healthcare outcomes.
Through this report, we have explored the key concepts,
principles, and practices of nursing informatics in Canada.
It is evident that nursing informatics requires a solid
understanding of information technology, healthcare
systems, data management, leadership, and
communication skills. Nurses in Canada need to be
equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to
effectively adopt and utilize nursing informatics in their
practice, ensuring the delivery of safe and quality patient
care.
Nursing informatics is a critical field that is transforming
nursing practice in Canada, enhancing patient care,
decision-making, and outcomes. By staying updated with
the latest developments, trends, and best practices in
nursing informatics, nurses can play a vital role in
advancing healthcare in Canada, ensuring that technology
is leveraged effectively to improve patient care and
outcomes.

5 Elements of the Canadian NMDS:

 Client status is broadly defined as a label for the

set of indicators that reflect the phenomena for
which nurses provide care, relative to the health
status of clients. Client status was preferred
because it represents a broader spectrum of
health and illness.
 Nursing interventions refer to purposeful and
deliberate health affecting interventions (direct
and indirect), based on assessment of client
status, which are designed to bring about results
which benefit clients.
 Client outcome is defined as a “clients’ status at
a defined point following health care
intervention”.
 Nursing intensity “refers to the amount and type
of nursing resource used to provide care”.
 Primary nurse identifier is a single unique
lifetime identification number for each individual
nurse.

Meeting the Challenge: Canadian Nursing Informatics

Association (CNIA)

The need to harness the existing nursing informatics

expertise, address the required informatics competencies
of all nurses, and extend the profession’s understanding of
the significance of health informatics are key priorities for
the CNIA.