Message from the Chair of HiNZ-NMI
As the newly appointed Chair of NMI-SIG, welcome to the August ’25 edition of our newsletter! This is our space to share ideas, successes, and opportunities in the world of nursing, midwifery, and digital health.
The big thing on our horizon is the Nursing and Midwifery Digital Health Workshop in November—a day packed with practical sessions, inspiring speakers, and plenty of time to connect with colleagues who are just as passionate about technology in care as you are. Whether you’re a digital health enthusiast or just curious about what’s possible, this workshop is for you. I can’t wait to see how we can work together to create meaningful change.
Carey Campbell
Chair of HiNZ Nursing & Midwifery Informatics Special Interest Group (HiNZ-NMI)
HiNZ-NMI Updates and News
Solving Healthcare’s Wicked Workforce Problems: A Call for Human-Centred Governance
Elf Eggiman
Across the globe, health systems face a wicked problem: a workforce crisis defined by shortages, inequitable distribution, burnout, and attrition (Plamondon et al., 2019). These issues are not isolated, they are interconnected, complex, and resistant to quick fixes. Despite increases in workforce numbers, poor working conditions, weak governance, and systemic inequities continue to undermine retention (Correia et al., 2025; McIsaac et al., 2024).
Governance as a Workforce Solution
Who sits at the decision-making table shapes system outcomes. Research shows that when frontline clinicians hold governance roles, particularly as board members, organisations see improved care quality, stronger alignment between policy and practice, and enhanced morale (Kramer & Schmalenberg, 2003; Hedberg et al., 2022). These clinicians act as boundary spanners, bridging the gap between operational realities and strategic decision-making. In contrast, rigid, top-down governance structures are associated with disengagement and increased burnout (Paterson, 2024).
Rehumanising Healthcare
Addressing wicked workforce challenges requires more than recruitment and retention incentives, it calls for rehumanisation: embedding compassion, respect, and relational governance into the fabric of healthcare (Dean et al., 2019; Tronto, 2020). Moral injury, when clinicians are unable to provide care consistent with their values - erodes trust and drives attrition (Rabin et al., 2023). Leaders who respond with open dialogue, ethics debriefings, and genuine participatory decision-making can help restore meaning and resilience.
The Role of Health Informatics (Digital Futures)
For health informatics professionals, the opportunity is clear. Digital systems should be designed not only for operational efficiency, but to strengthen governance and culture. This means:
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Embedding clinician input into system design, ensuring tools support, rather than hinder, care delivery.
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Capturing human-centred metrics, such as time spent in direct patient care, staff engagement, and equity of access.
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Supporting learning health systems, where data informs rapid, iterative improvements (Sheikh & Abimbola, 2022).
By aligning data systems with human-centred goals, informatics can help shift organisational priorities from throughput to meaningful outcomes.
Global Lessons and Local Contexts
International evidence shows that countries prioritising human-centred governance and relational cultures experience lower attrition (WHO, 2020). In New Zealand, Māori and community-led health models demonstrate how culturally grounded governance fosters stronger workforce engagement. However, strategies must be context-sensitive, what works in a Scandinavian public system may need adaptation for a rural Australian clinic or an urban US hospital.
A Call to Action
As delegates at this year’s HiNZ Nursing and Midwifery Workshop, we have a chance to confront the wicked workforce problem with courage and creativity. Solutions do not lie in more targets and efficiency drives, but rather in governance models that respect and empower clinicians, in cultures that protect well-being, and in informatics systems that measure what matters to humans, not just budgets. Systems thrive when their people do!
References
Correia, T., Wismar, M., & Kuhlmann, E. (2025). Turning the global health and care workforce crisis into action: The pathway to effective evidence-based policy and implementation. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 40(1), 224–233. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3860pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih+1
Dean, W., & Talbot, S. (2019, July 29). Moral injury and burnout in medicine: A year of lessons learned. STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2019/07/29/moral-injury-and-burnout-in-medicine-a-year-of-lessons-learned/pubhub.lib.msu
Hedberg, B., Wijk, H., Andersson Gäre, B., & Petersson, C. (2022). Shared decision-making and person-centred care in Sweden: Exploring coproduction of health and social care services. Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen, 171, 129–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zefq.2022.04.016
Kramer, M., & Schmalenberg, C. E. (2003). Magnet hospital staff nurses describe clinical autonomy. Nursing Outlook, 51(1), 13–19. https://doi.org/10.1067/mno.2003.4
McIsaac, M., Buchan, J., Abu-Agla, A., & others. (2024). Global strategy on human resources for health: Workforce 2030—A five-year check-in. Human Resources for Health, 22, 68. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-024-00940-x
Plamondon, K. M., & Pemberton, J. (2019). Blending integrated knowledge translation with global health governance: An approach for advancing action on a wicked problem. Health Research Policy and Systems, 17, 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-019-0424-3
Rabin, S., Kika, N., Lamb, D., Murphy, D., Stevelink, S. A. M., Williamson, V., Wessely, S., & Greenberg, N. (2023). Moral injuries in healthcare workers: What causes them and what to do about them? Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 15, 123–134. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S396659
Sheikh K, Abimbola S (2022) Strong health systems are learning health systems. PLOS Glob Public Health 2(3): e0000229. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000229
Tronto, J. C. (2020). Moral boundaries: A political argument for an ethic of care (2nd ed.). Routledge.
World Health Organization. (2020). State of the world’s nursing 2020: Investing in education, jobs and leadership. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003279
NMI Workshop at DHW 2025 - “Solving wicked problems in health”
A workshop designed by nurses and midwives for nurses and midwives
Thursday 27 November -Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre
Planning for the Nursing and Midwifery workshop as part of Digital Health week is continuing at pace with an unprecedented number of abstract submissions from a wonderful array of nurses and midwives across NZ and internationally! Yes - we can call this an international workshop with speakers from across the ditch and from as far afield as Thailand!
This workshop is for nurses and midwives who are either exploring or actively engaged in digital technology and health information systems. Whether you’re just beginning your digital health journey or already working in a specialist role, this one day extravaganza offers valuable insights and opportunities for all levels of experience.
With the World Health Organisation projecting that all clinicians are expected to engage with digital health by 2030, and the Nursing Council of New Zealand’s updated scopes of practice and competence standards now explicitly incorporating digital health, this workshop will provide an inclusive and action-oriented environment. The focus will be on practical strategies and collaborative approaches to driving digital health transformation across the health sector.
Here’s an updated overall agenda and timings that, of course are still subject to change until all speakers have confirmed their attendance. A more details agenda will be available next month.
NMI workshop agenda - August - high level.pdf
| If you need more information about how to attend click here Digital Health Week 2025 and scroll down to the Nursing and Midwifery section. |
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We hope you can make it - It’ll be a blast!!
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 nominations for the awarding of the “Robyn Carr Cup” for steadfast commitment to furthering the goals and achievements of the group in New Zealand.
The criteria can be found here:
RC Cup Criteria.pdf
Nominations close on 1st September, 2025.
Please email Emma Collins to get a nomination form: emma.collins@otago.ac.nz
Derek Hoy Memorial Lecture
On behalf of the British Computer Society, Nursing Specialist Group and Health and Care, Scotland Specialist Group, I would like to invite you to the Derek Hoy Memorial Lecture on Monday 1st September 2025 at 18.15 BST. (5:15am, Tuesday 2nd Sept, NZT). This is a hybrid event which can be attended online or in person at the University of Edinburgh. You can register using the following links.
This event is held each year to celebrate the work and life of Derek Hoy, an esteemed colleague. Derek was an active member of the national and international nursing informatics community.
Each year we invite a speaker, who like Derek, is visionary and creative. These have included Professor Suzanne Bakken and Dr Ann Kristin Rotegard. This year the lecture will be given by Dr Ian McNicoll.
New publications from the Nursing and Midwifery Community of Practice
Latest edition of the IMIA NI Newsletter.
If you haven’t already, you can request to join their LinkedIn group here.
Interesting read
Another interesting read
Upcoming Events
National events
https://hinz.eventsair.com/dhwnz24/home-2025
Please let us know if you have any other news or events to share as a reply to this post.
International events
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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.