Health Informatics: A Challenge for Nurses in Public Health in Rural Mexico.

Health informatics has significantly advanced global technology, yet challenges persist in public health and rural nursing in Mexico due to social inequalities, limited technology access, and suboptimal infrastructure, compounded by the absence of nurse informaticians as viable career options. Overcoming these barriers necessitates international collaboration, empowering Mexican nurses to contribute to universal health access and advocate for health equity. Interventions must extend beyond nursing curricula to existing workforces, ensuring they can address the needs of vulnerable populations in Mexico. Long-term international support is crucial to bridge these gaps and unleash the full potential of Mexican nurses in influencing global health.

Validación de la escala de autoevaluación de competencias de enfermeria en informática en español / Validation of the nursing informatics competence self-assessment scale in Spanish

RESUMEN Objetivo: validar la escala de autoevaluación de competencias de enfermería en informática (SANICS-MX) en profesionales de enfermería mexicanos. Método:diseño descriptivo prospectivo y polietápico. Las etapas fueon: traducción y validación lingüística, validación por jueces, prueba piloto y confiabilidad, prueba final en una muestra representativa y análisis de fiabilidad y factorial. Asi mismo, la muestra fue de 160 profesionales de enfermería de instituciones de salud. El periodo de la realizacion del estudio fue de enero 2022 a febrero 2023. Resultados:se evaluó el Índice de Validez por Ítem (3.0); Criterio de Validez (16.0%) e Índice de Validez de Contenido (8.33) y se obtuvo la segunda versión del instrumento. Se realizó una prueba piloto en 30 profesionales de enfermería para verificar la consistencia, persistencia y comprensión de los ítems, obteniendo una Alpha de Cronbach de 0.83, lo que indica que es un instrumento confiable. Se realizó una prueba final a 160 profesionales de enfermería. Se realizo el análisis factorial y el nivel de fiabilidad de la versión final de la escala SANICS-MX, en el cual se determinó un Alpha de Cronbach de 0.943. Conclusión:la escala SANICS-MX es un instrumento válido y confiable para medir las competencias en informática en enfermería.

ABSTRACT Objetive:to validate the Self-assessment Nursing Informatics Competence Scale (SANICS-MX) in mexican nurses. Method:descriptive prospective and multistage design. The steps were: translation and linguistic validation, validation by judges, pilot test and reliability, final test on a representative sample, and reliability and factorial analysis. Likewise, the sample consisted of 160 nursing professionals from health institutions. The period of the study was from January 2022 to February 2023. Results: the validity index per Item (3.0) was evaluated; validity criterion (16.0%) and content validity index (8.33) and the second version of the instrument was obtained. A pilot test was carried out on 30 nursing professionals to verify the consistency, persistence and comprehension of the items, obtaining a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.83, which indicates that it is a reliable scale. A final test was carried out on 160 nursing professionals. The factorial analysis and the level of reliability of the final version of the SANICS-MX scale was carried out, in which a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.943 was determined.Conclusion:SANICS-MX is valid and reliable instrument to measure computer skills and competencies in nurses.