A charge nurse is developing an in-service program on basic nursing informatics. Which statement should be included in the program?

A charge nurse is developing an in-service program on basic nursing informatics. Which statement should be included in the program?

• A. Reviewing health care blogs
• B. Querying the electronic health record
• C. Removing cookies from a Web browser
• D. Discussing patient care in social media

Answer: (B)

Using information systems to access and act on patient data is central to nursing informatics. Querying the electronic health record lets a nurse retrieve up-to-date information—medications, allergies, lab results, and progress notes—so care decisions are informed, coordinated, and documented accurately. The other options don’t involve using the clinical information system to support patient care: reviewing health care blogs is about external information sources rather than the patient’s data in the EHR; removing cookies from a Web browser is a general IT task with no direct link to clinical decision making; discussing patient care on social media risks breaches of privacy and professional boundaries, which nurses must avoid.

Using information systems to access and act on patient data is central to nursing informatics. Querying the electronic health record lets a nurse retrieve up-to-date information—medications, allergies, lab results, and progress notes—so care decisions are informed, coordinated, and documented accurately. The other options don’t involve using the clinical information system to support patient care: reviewing health care blogs is about external information sources rather than the patient’s data in the EHR; removing cookies from a Web browser is a general IT task with no direct link to clinical decision making; discussing patient care on social media risks breaches of privacy and professional boundaries, which nurses must avoid.