The Experience of the ICNP Francophone Research and Development Centre of Canada with Validating the ICNP® French-Canadian Version.

The mission of the ICNP Francophone Research and Development Centre of Canada is to promote and support the use of the French ICNP® by French-speaking nursing students, health-care workers and health organizations. This paper presents the different steps performed to achieve validation of the ICNP's French-Canadian version, which is now available for its integration into the electronic health-care records.

Adaptation and Evaluation of Online Self-learning Modules to Teach Critical Appraisal and Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: An International Collaboration.

Healthcare professionals need to update their knowledge and acquire skills to continually inform their practice based on scientific evidence. This study was designed to evaluate online self-learning modules on critical appraisal skills to promote the use of research in clinical practice among nurses from Quebec (Canada) and the Basque Country (Spain). The teaching material was developed in Quebec and adapted to the Basque Country as part of an international collaboration project. A prospective pre-post study was conducted with 36 nurses from Quebec and 47 from the Basque Country. Assessment comprised the administration of questionnaires before and after the course in order to explore the main intervention outcomes: knowledge acquisition and self-learning readiness. Satisfaction was also measured at the end of the course. Two of the three research hypotheses were confirmed: (1) participants significantly improved their overall knowledge score after the educational intervention; and (2) they were, in general, satisfied with the course, giving it a rating of seven out of 10. Participants also reported a greater readiness for self-directed learning after the course, but this result was not significant in Quebec. The study provides unique knowledge on the cultural adaptation of online self-learning modules for teaching nurses about critical appraisal skills and evidence-based practice.

Developing entry-to-practice nursing informatics competencies for registered nurses.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have brought about significant changes to the processes of health care delivery and changed how nurses perform in clinical, administrative, academic, and research settings. Because the potential benefits of ICT are significant, it is critical that new nurses have the knowledge and skills in informatics to provide safe and effective care. Despite the prevalence of technology in our day to day lives, and the potential significant benefits to patients, new nurses may not be prepared to work in this evolving reality. An important step in addressing this need for ICT preparation is to ensure that new graduates are entering the work force ready for technology-enabled care environments. In this paper, we describe the process and outcomes of developing informatics entry-to-practice competencies for adoption by Canadian Schools of Nursing.

Nursing students' perceptions of their resources toward the development of competencies in nursing informatics.

PURPOSE: This article presents the findings of a doctoral study about the internal and external resources required to develop nursing informatics competencies in student nurses. BACKGROUND: Colleges and universities are responsible for training nursing students, including in the area of nursing informatics. Even though nursing informatics is a specialty recognized by the American Nursing Association (2001), it has received limited attention in Quebec, Canada. METHOD: A total of 131 college-level nursing students were randomly surveyed with a mail questionnaire designed to describe their perceptions about their internal and external resources in nursing informatics. RESULTS: Nursing students perceive that their internal and external resources necessary to ensure "knowledge to act" in nursing informatics is moderately high. They said they lacked knowledge about using spreadsheet programs, presentation software, and courseware, about data security, and about how to analyze the quality of a health-related Web site and search electronic scientific databases. CONCLUSION: These results show that, even if nursing students have access to a computer and the Internet at home and even if they feel competent using informatics in nursing, they still lack important resources for developing competencies in nursing informatics. We recommend that faculties and colleges focus on these elements.

[Nursing classifications and computerized nursing information systems (CNIS): situation and issues]. / Classifications infirmières et systèmes d'information infirmiers informatisés (SIII): état de la situation et enjeux.

Nursing information recorded in a cardex, a nursing care plan or progress notes in a hospital is not saved. As a result, the data cannot be compiled or analyzed, and the nursing profession is deprived of important details that could be used to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of nursing interventions. Electronic storage of nursing data using standardized vocabulary (nursing classification systems) would make it possible to codify and use these data. The information obtained would be useful for research, drawing up protocols and practice guides, and even for theory work, to advance nursing knowledge. This article suggests that computerized information systems being deployed in the healthcare network should be based on recognized nursing classifications.