Nurses' perceptions of usefulness of nursing information system: module of electronic medical record for patient care in two university hospitals of iran.
BACKGROUND
For almost fifteen years, the application of computer in hospitals increasingly has become popular. Nurses' beliefs and attitudes towards computer is one of the most important indicators of the application of nursing information system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of nurses on the usefulness of nursing information system for patient care.


METHODS
Here, a descriptive study was carried out. Sample was consisted of 316 nurses working in teaching hospitals in an urban area of Iran. This study was conducted during 2011 to 2012. A reliable and valid questionnaire was developed as a data collection tool. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.


RESULTS
It was not believed that nursing information system was useful for patient care. However, it was mentioned that nursing information system is useful in some aspects of patient care such as expediting care, making early diagnosis and formulating diet plan. A significant association was found between the demographic background of sample and their perceptions of the usefulness of nursing information system (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Totally, it can be concluded that nursing information system has a potential for improving patient care in hospital settings. Therefore, policy makers should consider implementing nursing information system in teaching hospitals.
Research Center of Social Determinants for Health, Head of Allied Health Department, Nursing and Allied Health Faculty, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
Mehdi
M
Kahouei
Department of Nursing, Nursing and Allied Health Faculty, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
Hassan
H
Baba Mohammadi
Health Education and Promotion Department, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Health Department, Nursing and Allied health school, Semnan University of Medical Sciences. Semnan, Iran.
Hesamedin
H
Askari Majdabadi
Health Education and Promotion Department, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mahnaz
M
Solhi
Department of Nursing, Islamic Azad University, Semnan branch, Semnan, Iran.
Zeinab
Z
Parsania
Department of Nursing, Islamic Azad University, Semnan branch, Semnan, Iran.
Panoe
P
Said Roghani
Department of Nursing, Islamic Azad University, Semnan branch, Semnan, Iran.
Mehri
M
Firozeh
Nurse perception; electronic health record; nursing information system