The Healthcare Informatics Society of Ireland (HISI) executive formed a Special Interest Group for nurses in 1996 to promote the knowledge and practice of Nursing Informatics. The nurse members of the executive are Rita Collins, Lecturer in Nursing at University College Dublin, Rosaleen Murnane, Nurse Coordinator Computer, Management and Information Services, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. Since 1996 the Special Interest Group have adopted a proactive stance in the promotion and acceptance of informatics both at a national and local level within Ireland. Challenges that HISI N have embraced include but are not restricted to advocating the introduction of informatics modules within nursing at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level, dissemination of information both nationally and internationally on informatics projects within Ireland and correspondence with the relevant stakeholders in Ireland to recognise Nursing Informatics as a specialist area in its own right.

HISI-N acknowledge the challenges ahead for the implementation of the reform programme in Ireland and will welcome any opportunity to assist in the implementation process in whatever way that we can.

Irish nursing is represented at international level on the European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI) and the International Medical Informatics Association-Nursing Informatics (IMIA-NI) special interest groups, through membership of HISI.

Following a meeting in November 2002 at the HISI annual conference, the Special Interest Group and the Computers and Nursing (CAN) group which was established in Beaumont Hospital (2000) agreed to merge to form a single group called the Healthcare Informatics Society of Ireland-Nursing (HISI-Nursing) dedicated to the overall advancement of nursing informatics in Ireland. As a result of a Midwife joining the steering group in 2006 it was agreed to rename the group to HISI-Nursing Midwifery.

HISI-N Steering Group members

The Aims of HISI-Nursing are to:

• Support the ongoing development of Nursing Informatics in Ireland.
• Promote an awareness and foster collaboration among Irish nurses who are interested in Informatics in Ireland.
• Provide opportunities for meetings, seminars etc. in order to share knowledge and facilitate communication in the specialty.
• Encourage the use of Information Technology (IT), support quality patient care in the clinical area, information handling and decision support associated with nursing administration, research and nursing education.
• Foster relationships with other healthcare informatics personnel.
• Support the integration between other healthcare information systems during the development of the Electronic Patient Record /Electronic Health Record.
• Encourage involvement of Irish nurses in European and International nursing activities such as the work of CEN TC251.
• Represent Nurses on HISI.

HISI-N Membership

To become a member of HISI-Nursing, please complete the application form and send to:

Healthcare Informatics Society of Ireland
Crescent Hall, Mount Street Crescent, Dublin 2 

or contact HISI at 01 6447820 for an application form.

Annual Fee: €25

Once a member of HISI you automatically become a member of HISI-Nursing group.

Relevant Links

• Nursing Information Research Exchange Website
• ICNP News
• Lang, N.M., & Baernholdt, M. (2003). Why an ICNP? Links from quality, information and policy. International Nursing Review, 50(2), 73-78
• Canada Health Infoway
• IHTSDO
• HOBIC
  Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• CNA Position Statements
• Nursing Informatics (2006)
• Evidence-Based Decision-Making and Nursing Practice (2002)
• Collecting Data to Reflect the Impact of Nursing Practice (2001)
• The Role of the Nurse in Telepractice (2001)
• Privacy of Personal Health Information (2001)