Informatics Empowers Healthcare Transformation 269

J. Mantas et al. (Eds.)

IOS Press, 2017
© 2017 The authors and IOS Press. All rights reserved.
doi:10.3233/978-1-61499-781-8-269

Continuous Education in Community

Nursing with the Use of Health Informatics
Κostis CHARDALIASa, Andrianna MAGNITAa, Charalampos
ANDRIANOPOULOSa, Panagiotis KOUTONIASa, Antonis KEFALIAKOSb and
Marianna DIOMIDOUSa1
a
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Nursing,University of Athens, Greece
b
Nursing Department, Technological Educational Institute of Western Greece

Abstract. Continuous Education can make a significant progress in any

professional scientific discipline such as Nursing, which is constantly evolving.
The main purpose of this paper is the review of contemporary literature in relation
to the continuous education in community-nursing, with the use of health
informatics. Additionally, these reasons are examined for which, nurses attend or
not programs of continuing education. Finally, Accreditation, Interdisciplinary
Education and Nursing Education to provide in the best possible way the necessary
knowledge to students, is highlighted.

Keywords. Continuing Education, Community Nursing, Health Informatics

Introduction

As technology and informatics are evolving every day even more and the new studies
programs bring-up new data, the knowledge that every person has acquired from the
basic education, either through a university degree or via a postgraduate program of
studies, becomes restricted. It is crucial, that people from every professional field must
undergo a lifelong education. Healthcare specialties, therefore, such as Community-
Nursing are rapidly evolving, demanding continuous updating and training of their
staff. It is an inclusive terminology which refers to all kinds and types of education that
every employee can have. This includes the educational lessons a person can take, after
having completed the level of basic education. To put in simple words, the term refers
to every form of education, provided to professionals. It is noteworthy to mention that,
many vocations demand from their members to attend continuing educational
programs, in order to maintain their certificates and their licenses [1]. Furthermore,
continuing education plays a determinant role in community nursing. Continuous
education also combines primary health with nursing practice, health informatics and
public health.
Community Nurse and Health Informatics Nurses are Responsible [2]:
• To evaluate the health level and health needs of the patients.
• To refer them to the proper services.
• To provide counseling and psychological support to people in need.


1
Corresponding Author. Marianna Diomidous, e-mail: mdiomidi@nurs.uoa.gr
270 K. Chardalias et al. / Continuous Education in Community Nursing

• To prescribe medicines when this is allowed and needed.

• To act independently within a scientific framework.
• To provide accurate data to supervisors and superiors.
• To be informed properly and accurately.
• To function as a source of specialized knowledge and instructions of clinical
nursing practice within the healthcare group.
• To acknowledge the social existing, political and economic factors.
• To provide support and knowledge to nurses and health-care professionals,
with the use of health informatics [3].
The procedure which the student’s satisfaction is connected with the course has to
be evaluated, with the different procedures taking place during the lesson. The
provision for healthcare services has been improved, though the provision of
systematic nursing courses, technological schools, university level nursing and finally
with postgraduate studies, reinforcing the contribution of continuous education [4].
Furthermore, Health Informatics represents these applications of computer-information
technologies, specifically to support the health-information and the accurately
communication-needs of the patients them-selves.
The health-informatics perspective can provide insights and options to improve
each of the seven ongoing-elements of any public health-community nursing
intervention.
These include the following:
• Planning and System Administration-Identifying information and sources,
• Health Data-Collection-Identifying potential bias associated with different
collection methods.
• Health Data-Management-Identifying ways to share data across different
computing/technology platforms.
• Information Analysis-Identifying appropriate statistical and visual
applications.
• Interpretation-Determining usefulness of comparing information with other
data sets.
• Dissemination-Recommending appropriate displays of information for users
to reach the intended audience.
• Application(s) to Public Health Programs-Assessing the utility of having the
health-data directly into information systems that support public health
interventions and health information elements or standards.

1. Materials and Methods

The significance of the community-nurse in the provision of qualitative healthcare-

services is very important. Study and further analysis of continuous education
programs are available in community nursing and health informatics studies, such as
postgraduate and doctoral programs, seminars, etc. offering important and specialized
scientific support in community of health-care. Computer networks and
telecommunications provide particular support, enhancing the collaboration among
care-providers and patients.
 K. Chardalias et al. / Continuous Education in Community Nursing 271

2. Results

Nowadays nurses are not properly trained in relation to the practical part of the
profession. Due to the gap between practice and education, nursing practice is unable to
keep up within the rapid changes of research and technology. According to it, time
consuming procedures of patient’s registrations and examinations are reduced,
mistakes are avoided, money is saved, drugs abused controlled, provided that the health
professionals have the knowledge or that they attend programs or courses of continuing
education in order to update their learning and practice.

3. Discussion

Continuous Education can be either voluntary or obligatory. Concerning voluntary

continuous education, there are many reasons why someone may or may not take part.
Some of the motives are the clinical responsibilities, the increase of professional
opportunities and the update of the knowledge. Some of the deterrent factors are the
cost, the family-care, the lack of information for the available programs, the inability to
apply for a leave in the workplace and finally the lack of payment and funding. Taking
into consideration the above, some thoughts accrue and there are suggestions for being
capable of ameliorating the future of the Community Nursing and Health Informatics
Fields.

References

[1] Α. Kalokairinou-Anagnostopoulou, P. Sourtzi, Community Nursing, Athens, Publications Vita, 2005.

[2] S. Karaman, Nurses’ perceptions of online continuing education, BioMed Central Medical Education 11
(2011), 86-91.
[3] P. F. Brennan, Health informatics and community health: support for patients as collaborators in care,
Methods Inf Med 38(4-5) (1999), 274-278.
[4] A. Moen, L. M. Mæland Knudsen, Nursing Informatics: Decades of Contribution to Health Informatics,
Healthc Inform Res. 19(2) (2013), 86–92.
[5] J. Liaskos, A. Frigas, K. Antypas, D. Zikos, M. Diomidous, J. Mantas, Promoting interprofessional
education in health sector within the European Interprofessional Education Network, International
Journal of Medical Informatics 78, (2009), S43-S47
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