The Role of the Informatics Nurse

In the last decade, the scope of practice for nurses in informatics roles has been evolving and shifting in response to the needs of health care organizations. While the informatician’s practice has been seldom consistently defined or circumscribed in terms of role responsibilities and scope, they have been significant contributors to the evolution and dissemination of information and communication technology (ICT) across the globe. Further the advent of formalized education in nursing and health informatics has led to the establishment of associated credentials and situated informatics as a specialty within the nursing profession. In this chapter, the author will review the types of informatics roles that have been assumed by nurses working in the field of informatics, key role functions, and a perspective on the essential leadership roles and possible directions for the next generation of nurse informaticians.