The first HiNZ-NMI Newsletter co-published on the eHealth Forum
Message from the Chair of HiNZ-NMI
Welcome to the April edition of the HiNZ-NMI newsletter!
It has been a busy few months - as I expect you all can agree. Everyone seems to have hit the ground running this year and the beginning of the year hump for me, seems to be ongoing. We have all become increasingly busy in our personal and professional lives. Sometimes technology can help with this and sometimes it can hinder. I know I occasionally fall down the Facebook reels ‘rabbit hole’.
@Yeok has written a short reflective piece this month which asks us to think about the IT in our lives and think about how it can enhance or hinder what we do, in our personal lives, and at work. I am going to try that on my next shift. Hopefully you will also get a chance to pause, reflect and think about what you are engaging with in regards to IT, and what effect it is having.
HiNZ-NMI would also like to welcome @lara to the role of Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) for Te Whatu Ora. We look forward to working with you.
Emma Collins (@emma.collins)
Chair of HiNZ Nursing & Midwifery Informatics Special Interest Group (HiNZ-NMI)
HiNZ-NMI Updates and News
View from the inside
A birds eye view from @yeok
Nurses and Midwives support people, whānau and populations through change in health and wellness. During our training and education, we learn about disease and injury and the impact on the dependence, and independence, of those undergoing the health change.
The impact on the dependence of a person is shaped by the elements that influence all our lives. For me, when training and working in the UK, this was described by Logan, Tierney and Roper, British nursing theorists, and included the biological, psychological, sociocultural, environmental, and politicoeconomics. Within Aotearoa New Zealand, in his work to describe the Māori world view to improve health outcomes, Sir Mason Durie ONZ KNZM describes a whare or house, with strong foundations in the land, sturdy walls, and roof that all need to be in balance and in good condition for a person, whānau and community to flourish.
These elements include taha tinana (physical wellbeing), taha hinengaro (mental wellbeing) taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing) and taha whānau (family wellbeing).
A comprehensive holistic assessment is a fundamental requirement for nurses and midwives to do their job, regardless of speciality or area of practice. This has become harder and harder to do. Paperwork, with an increasing focus on compliance and audit, is often seen as superfluous by those having to complete it. Multiple technological applications split activity into separate tasks. Changing our view of those we look after from human beings with complex lives, into widgets of activity.
As nurses and midwives we have opportunity to shape our workplace and inform change at many levels. Following our online forum on how nurses and midwives could become more involved, I have been thinking what we can do to start developing a career in the data and digital field. Remember, this is a broad area of activity with different streams so you will need to consider what really interests you.
To begin, think about how information technologies enhance or hinder your life, relationships and work. Have some understanding about interoperability and the flow of information. Think how data can be used to inform our workflow, the care we provide and demonstrate improved outcomes. If someone asked what you would do to improve how services that support the patient and whānau across the continuum of care, what would you say? By being thoughtful and developing understanding, you are better placed to start the journey into data and digital.
This thoughtfulness will help shape what you want to do, informing professional development and open up opportunities in roles such as change, and project management. Other opportunities lie in data analysis and data management, where you would augment your clinical knowledge with an understanding of how to manipulate data to answer questions that inform care and service delivery. Be interested, be informed, get out there and help create the world we need.
HiNZ team welcomes new CEO
The HiNZ team welcomed new CEO, Tim Corbett (@timc), to the team in February. Tim brings a wealth of experience in digital health and media, and a passion for equity.
HiNZ board chair @karenblake says, “we are excited to have Corbett’s leadership style and expertise at the forefront of HiNZ."
Find out more about Tim’s background and hopes for the future in his new role.
Robyn Carr Cup for Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Informatics – call for nominations
The Robyn Carr Cup, provided by now retired theatre nurse, early pioneer in nursing informatics in NZ and previous international chair of IMIA-NI, Robyn Carr, was established in 2010, to provide encouragement and to acknowledge involvement with nursing and midwifery informatics, to continue the legacy of her pioneering role in New Zealand. This award recognises sustained support of nursing and midwifery informatics in New Zealand. Furthermore, it recognises the central role nurses have had, and continue to have, in supporting the profession, each other and the wider interests of the health informatics community.
HINZ-NMI is calling for suggestions and names for the awarding of the “Robyn Carr Cup” for steadfast commitment to furthering the goals and achievements of the group in New Zealand.
Please contact @m.honey for more information and to get a nomination form.
What’s been happening on the eHealth forum
This was an interesting document that was recently posted in the Forum.
https://ehealthforum.nz/t/fci-strategy-2023-2026-lauched/29047
The FCI exists to drive high quality health, care and wellbeing for people through the advancement of clinical informatics.
This strategy discusses four pillars:
- advancement of clinical informatics through community
- advancement of clinical informatics through learning
- advancement of clinical informatics through leading
- advancement of clinical informatics through delivery
Learning & Development
New publications from the Nursing and Midwifery Community of Practice
Latest newsletter from IMIA NI - March
Newsletter March 2023.pdf (438.8 KB)
Listen & Learn - Podcast series eHealthTALK
Tune into HiNZ’s podcast series to keep yourself up-to-date and well informed. The eHealthTALK podcast series is free for anyone to listen to.
Episode 35: Professional supervision for nurses
Published on 6 March 2023
The College of Nurses Aotearoa is running professional supervision short courses in May 2023. Catherine Cook, AUT Associate Professor, School of Clinical Sciences, discusses the role and benefits of professional supervision in nursing and what to expect from the course.
Podcast participants:
- Catherine Cook, AUT Associate Professor, School of Clinical Science
- Hosted by @RMcBeth, HiNZ News Editor
Upcoming eHealth Webinar: AI in Health - What does ChatGPT mean for me?
Hear real life human experts discuss the potential opportunities and limitations of the use of conversational AI systems such as ChatGPT in the health system.
Where might tools such as this be best applied to benefit human health and what issues should health professionals keep in mind before applying them in their practice?
Expert panel: @chris.paton, @tania, @nick.kemp, and Albert Bifet.
HiNZ would like to thank Wild Bamboo for sponsoring this webinar.
Upcoming Events
National Events
If you are interested in getting together (most events are in-person!) with others in the health informatics space, please do consider attending the following:
- Digital Health Leadership Summit: 30-31 May 2023, Shed 6, Wellington
- Digital Health Week: 27-30 November 2023, Claudelands, Hamilton
International events
(as noted from International Medical Informatics Association: Nursing Informatics Special Interest Group)
- MIE 2023 Medical Informatics Europe 22-25 May 2023, with Nursing Informatics day 24 May in Göteborg, Sweden.
- The 21st International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIME 23), which includes AI in Nursing, 12-15 June 2023, Slovenia
- MedInfo 2023: 7-12 July, Sydney, Australia
- MedInfo24 is being held in Manchester, UK. The theme is ‘Applied nursing informatics: Innovations in the practice of nursing informatics’
Please let us know if you have any news or events to share
About HiNZ-NMI
The HiNZ nursing & midwifery informatics special interest group (HiNZ-NMI) supports the development of nursing informatics in New Zealand. HiNZ-NMI meets on the eHealth Forum and publishes a free eNewsletter with digital health updates of relevance to nurses.
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What is nursing informatics?
Nursing Informatics science and practice integrates nursing, its information and knowledge and their management with information and communication technologies to promote the health of people, families and communities world-wide.