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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Pamela J. Correll, RN, BSN, Public Health Nursing Program, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 396 Griffin Road, Bangor, ME 04401, 207-561-4107, Pamela.J.Correll@maine.gov and Karen S. Martin, RN, MSN, FAAN, Martin Associates, 2115 S. 130th Street, Omaha, NE 68144.

State public health systems are responsible for offering their citizens equal access to a broad array of services. Public health nurses make critical contributions to statewide health initiatives, as they provide diverse home based and population focused services. Nurses address the complex health needs of citizens, including women, children, elders, immigrants, and those infected with or at risk of developing communicable disease. Effective use of information technology is no longer a futuristic goal. It is now a necessary tool to ensure that nurses fully participate in their state's public health mission. In 1999, Public Health Nursing in Maine began implementation of information technology in order to link nursing practice, service data, information, and knowledge pertinent to citizens' current and emerging health needs. Maine uses an electronic documentation system that is based on the Omaha System, a multidisciplinary terminology. Implementation of information technology has required new programmatic priorities and resources. This session will highlight key strategies used during the implementation process. Maine strategies included the formation of a documentation committee that engages all staff in strategic planning and cultural change. A nursing informatics role has operationalized a nursing perspective on service data generation and analysis. As these data are shared with public funders and partners, a nursing perspective on public health is shared, as well. Information technology tools have yielded numerous benefits including standardized clinical documentation, improved clinical management, public health outcomes measurement, and preparation for pursuit of nursing program accreditation.

Learning Objectives:

• List five reasons why public health nurses must participate in information technology activities.
• Identify key strategies to implement information technology successfully.
• Describe the benefits of quantifying and qualifying a nursing perspective for current and future state public health inititatives.

Keywords: Health Information Systems, Public Health Nursing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No