"The way we handle information is more important than ever and the NHS has not been immune from patient confidentiality breaches and data handling errors."
Enter Sheffield Hallam University with a pioneering course to equip the nurses and midwives of tomorrow with the information technology skills they need to meet new government recommendations.
More than 2,500 undergraduates at the University have signed up to Systems Of E-Care, which equips them with the information management knowledge to ensure high quality patient care.
Showcase symposium
The course will be showcased at a symposium to be held at the University in March. The aim is to encourage more universities to embed the system into their own curriculums, as well as raising awareness of how to incorporate modern thinking into 21st century nursing.
Symposium organiser Paula Procter, reader in Informatics and Telematics in Nursing, says that the Systems Of E-Care programme runs alongside the three-year undergraduate courses. This means that students can begin their careers with a working knowledge of complex information management and technology systems.
She said: "Health informatics is recognised as a valued profession in the public and private health care sectors but many undergraduate degrees do not incorporate elements of it in their programmes.
"Medical research and the delivery of health services depend on reliable computer-based systems and the information-processing skills to back this up.
"The Prime Minister has urged the nursing profession to improve its IT skills - and Sheffield Hallam is definitely ahead of the curve in embedding this E-care element into its programmes."
The symposium, Nursing And The Information Agenda, takes place on 6 March 2012 in the Howard Building at City Campus, from 12.30pm to 3.30pm.
Speakers include Peter Murray from the International Medical Informatics Association, Richard Hayward from the British Computer Society, Jane Smith, National Clinical Lead for Nursing (Learning Disability) and Paula Procter.
To register for the event, visit the website at http://www.shu.ac.uk/ad/hwb/nursingsymposium/index.html
Nurses need the IT factor
