Cheryl Thompson

• University of Nebraska Medical Center

A cross-countries and interprofessional novel approach for delivering an international interdisciplinary graduate health informatics course online is presented. Included in this discussion are the challenges, lessons learned, and pedagogical recommendations from the experiences of teaching the course. Four professors from three different fields and...

Challenges arise in building the knowledge needed for evidence-based practice partially because obtaining clinical research data is expensive and complicated, and many studies have small sample sizes. Combining data from several studies may have the advantage of increasing the impact of the findings or expanding the population to which findings may...

The site visit is a crucial component of the academic accreditation process. Many nursing education programs have adopted electronic processes for document management and course delivery. In this article, the authors describe reasons for using an electronic resource room, changes made in document management systems, methods to provide electronic do...

This article is the 15th in a multipart series designed to improve the knowledge base of readers, particularly novices, in the area of clinical research. A better understanding of these principles should help in reading and understanding the application of published studies. It should also help those involved in beginning their own research project...

This article is the 14th in a multipart series designed to improve the knowledge base of readers, particularly novices, in the area of clinical research. A better understanding of these principles should help in reading and understanding the application of published studies. It should also help those involved in beginning their own research project...

This 13th article of the Basics of Research series is first in a short series on statistical analysis. These articles will discuss creating your statistical analysis plan, levels of measurement, descriptive statistics, probability theory, inferential statistics, and general considerations for interpretation of the results of a statistical analysis.

Proper data management techniques are essential to the conduct of a scientifically sound research project. Before the study is begun, decisions should be made regarding how the data are to be recorded, source documents stored, data coded, computer entry performed, errors corrected, computer files secured, and backups performed.

Despite the safeguards imposed by the IRB and the consent process, the prospective researcher still may have problems with ethical considerations. There are many motives for performing clinical research, which run the gamut from patient-care concerns, such as inadequate standard therapy, to those less pure, such as reimbursement and academic standi...

The Air Transport Minimum Data Set consists of time-related terms proposed for use during rotor-wing transport. Reliable data collection is vital for monitoring safety, providing medical care, and meeting regulatory standards and financial constraints. The purpose of this research was to conduct a pilot study to investigate the intra-rater and inte...

A core set of clinical research designs have stood the test of time and are repeatedly used in most studies. No single research design is best to answer all research questions, and every research design has appropriate applications. This and the previous articles have described the most common designs. However, in the process of performing research...

A core set of clinical research designs have stood the test of time and are repeatedly used in most studies. No single research design is best to answer all research questions, and every research design has appropriate applications. The next article will discuss nonexperimental designs.

Interface design and usability testing are important skills for the informatics nurse. This study used the Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIStrade mark) to evaluate a nurse practitioner outcomes database used to track client variables for evaluating clinical outcomes and for implementing a process improvement project. Five nursin...

This paper proposes a series of techniques to be used in teaching database design. Common ERD notations are discussed. The authors developed an ERD notation, adapted from the Unified Modeling Language, which facilitates student learning of the database design process. The paper presents a specific step by step process for representing the ERD compo...

Transport times, such as time of call, are an essential part of the patient record. The purpose of this study was to validate a previously proposed minimum data set of time-related terms. A stratified sample of 508 nurses, physicians, paramedics, pilots, and communication specialists was selected to participate in the validation survey. Subjects in...

Practice improvements are much needed in health care but are difficult to implement and to measure. Without records that include aggregate data, outcomes cannot be compared. Aggregate data are defined as data not limited to one patient, but data that are tracked across time, across organizations, across patient populations, or across some other var...

The purpose of this research was to identify, name and define a set of concepts to describe specific times and time intervals relevant to patient transport by helicopter. A list of 206 potential terms was identified from 96 patient records. A purposive sample of experts representing nurses, physicians, paramedics, pilots and communication specialis...

Despite the fact that nursing informatics is entering its third decade as a specialty within nursing, many definitions still exist to describe the field. This paper offers a rationale for a definition for nursing informatics and a critical analysis of past definitions. An organizing framework of technology-oriented, conceptual, and role-oriented de...

Purpose: To provide a synopsis of issues about clinical information systems for nurses not schooled in nursing informatics. Organizing construct: The past, present, and future of clinical computing, including major factors resulting in the early hospital information systems (HIS) and decision support systems (DSS) in the United States, current adva...

The purpose of the study was to determine if terminology used for nursing interventions in air transport records is consistent with the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) system. A retrospective descriptive design was used to examine the terminology used in air transport records. The sample included the transport records for 46 cardiac patie...

To provide a synopsis of issues about clinical information systems for nurses not schooled in nursing informatics. The past, present, and future of clinical computing, including major factors resulting in the early hospital information systems (HIS) and decision support systems (DSS) in the United States, current advances and issues in managing cli...

Decision-making is an integral part of quality patient care. The aim of this study was to evaluate decision-making documentation. A retrospective descriptive design was used to examine the documentation for a convenience sample of 48 trauma patients transported by rotor-wing aircraft. A total of 1012 decisions were documented in the 48 records. The...

This case study demonstrates both the positive and the negative aspects of developing a stand-alone database for use by a small unit of a larger organization. The advantages center on the ability to tailor the program to the requirements of a single unit. The disadvantages relate to the inability to apply systemwide resources to the problem, the de...

The study purpose was to identify how members of the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA), formerly called the National Flight Nurses Association, use research in their flight nursing practice. A survey was mailed to each ASTNA member requesting demographic data and a description of research activities used in their practice of flight...

The Delphi technique provides a means of assessing the judgments of groups of experts without the necessity of having these experts meet together. The technique has been used in health care since the mid-1970s, and has just recently become more common in clinical informatics research. As informatics develops as a specialty, it is logical to conside...

The implementation of the computerized protocol for mechanical ventilation management should be considered successful. Of the 11 sites, only 4 encountered major difficulties. One site could be considered an implementation failure. At this site the protocol software, which was loaded onto the existing computerized patient documentation system, did n...

The case studies will represent a wide variety of scenarios encountered in the field of healthcare information system technology implementation. We hope that the series will be of value to readers of Computers in Nursing. We encourage feedback so that subsequent cases within the series can be tailored to meet the needs of readers.

Qualitative research is a method less commonly used by investigators to answer questions related to air transport. However, qualitative research is no less rigorous than more quantitative measures and, in many cases, may be a more appropriate approach. This article has provided a hypothetical example of a grounded theory study.

Although both the assumptions and methods of qualitative and quantitative approaches in nursing research are different, both have the goal of furthering the scientific basis for practice. A variety of qualitative approaches are available, and which approach to use depends on the purpose of the research. In general, qualitative investigations addres...

The increasing need for professional nursing care has emphasized the necessity of efficient use of current nursing resources. Speeding the care planning process and minimizing work load are two possible methods for improving nursing efficiency, thereby decreasing occupational stress and promoting quality of patient care. The purpose of this study w...

The transport of sick or premature newborns from community hospitals to acute care facilities is often necessary for the infants to receive the level of care required. Prior stabilization of these infants is imperative to a successful transport. The knowledge required to treat and stabilize sick and premature newborns is specialized and may not be...

Nurse practitioners (NPs) have dual goals as primary care providers, combining the traditional goals of nursing with extended goals as diagnosticians. Diagnostic reasoning, therefore, is a critical component of NP education. Iliad, a computerized diagnostic reasoning expert system, has been used effectively to teach diagnostic skills to medical stu...

A philosophy of holism and the development of nursing taxonomies may appear to have goals that are inconsistent. Taxonomies are typically hierarchic in structure, and their content often consists of atomic level elements rather than holistic concepts. The article explores the development of taxonomies and how they can be enriched by a holistic pers...

In June of 1993, the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) Quality Management Committee surveyed 240 air medical programs regarding their Quality Assurance and Continuous Quality Improvement activities. The survey tool consisted of questions related to Quality Assurance/Continuous Quality Improvement program structure and specific Quality Assu...

Database design is a complex and time-consuming process. In order to automate database design, an understanding of the nature of expertise that goes into the design process is needed. Although a number of expert systems have been developed to assist or replace a database designer, database design expertise has not been examined in any detail. This...

Quality assurance (QA) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) are valued activities within health-care organizations. Quality assurance indicators as guidelines for quality practice usually are established intuitively. The purpose of this study was to determine an appropriate threshold for successful intubation in patients transported by air and...

Increased federal attention to nursing research has prompted professional nursing organizations to develop research programs identifying areas of scientific knowledge most needed for professional and clinical practice. The study purpose was to identify the National Flight Nurses Association's (NFNA's) research priorities. A two-round Delphi techniq...

This article describes the history and development of the Clinical Nursing Informatics Program at the University of Utah College of Nursing. Program philosophy and curriculum are discussed in the context of the conceptual framework. Courses and student projects are described. The authors reflect on the ensuing stage of program development.

In a rapidly changing national health care system, with a cost-cutting emphasis, air medical services are at risk. To support the benefit of services provided, professional organizations representing nurses, paramedics and physicians, must collectively: 1) develop overall research strategies that support knowledge development unique to airborne tra...

Expert systems in nursing are developed with traditional knowledge engineering techniques. These techniques focus on the behavior and logic of the expert, not qualities of expertise. Expertise has been described but not explained. This article proposes a theoretical framework for the study of expertise that can be used to facilitate the development...