title: Computer use in an urban university hospital: technology ahead of literacy.
abstract: The linkage of patient safety and care quality to the implementation of computerized information systems assumes that clinical staff are skilled with computers. Nurses and nursing support staff increasingly require computers to carry out their work. Minimum computer competencies for nurses have been identified. The determination of whether the current nursing workforce has acquired these competencies remains uncertain. We administered a self-assessment survey to nurses and nursing support staff to determine proficiency with computer skills they might perform at work. Respondents reported inadequacies in basic and work-related computer skills. More than 28% scored themselves as having fair or poor proficiency on all skills, and more than 50% as fair or poor on five of 11 skills. Respondents over age 50 and those graduating before 1984 tended to score proficiency lower. Our study suggests that many nurses and nursing support staff may not have the minimum computer competencies to effectively and efficiently perform their work.
authors.affiliation: Louisiana State University Healthcare Service Division, Medical Center of Louisiana in New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. wwilbr@lsuhsc.edu
authors.forename: Wayne A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Wilbright
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Haun
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krutzfeldt
authors.forename: Cathi E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Fontenot
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Nolan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003197:Computer Literacy; D003200:Computer User Training; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008145:Louisiana; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires