Our Mission is to support evidence-based nursing practice and improved patient outcomes with technology solutions that enhance nursing communication, documentation and efficiency. We pursue our mission endlessly and passionately!
Nursing leadership at Cleveland Clinic has long recognized that superior quality of care depends on the alignment of people, processes and technology. The Department of Nursing Informatics -within the Nursing Institute- plays an essential role in defining and implementing the strategy for innovative technological systems and processes to support the delivery of quality patient care and to enhance nursing practice.
Nursing Informatics participates in multidisciplinary strategic planning to determine system solutions that support patient care, set standards for clinical applications, conform to accreditation standards and regulatory requirements and transform clinical practice. The department also facilitates the development of automation policies, procedures and guidelines for nursing and is the primary liaison between the Cleveland Clinic Information Technology Division and the Nursing Institute.
At the onset of the department, information technology needs within the Nursing Institute were focused on supporting mainframe applications, developing databases, maintaining desktop applications and deploying office computers. It was during this time when various clinical systems were beginning to evolve, and a clinical nurse manager - interested in how technology could affect nursing practice and patient care - became the first manager of the department. With the advent of an automated order entry/results reporting system, the role of the department quickly expanded along with the staff.
Initially referred to as Nursing Information Systems at its inception in 1988, the area was officially established as a department in 1993 – one year before the American Nurses Association recognized Nursing Informatics as a specialty with ANCC Certification. The name change to Nursing Informatics was implemented in 2006 to coincide with then-current standards of practice and scope.
The Nursing Informatics department is now comprised of registered nurses, educators, systems analysts, a web analyst, a security coordinator and system administrators whose focus is to enhance nursing practice through the creative use of technology, maximizing nursing productivity, improving the work environment infrastructure and further supporting the Clinic’s world class excellence in patient care.
