Information Quality of a Nursing Information System depends on the nurses: A combined quantitative and qualitative evaluation

PurposeProviding access to patient information is the key factor in nurses’ adoption of a Nursing Information System (NIS). In this study the requirements for information quality and the perceived quality of information are investigated. A teaching hospital in the Netherlands has developed a NIS as a module of the Hospital Information System. After the NIS was implemented in six wards in March 2009, the NIS was evaluated.MethodsA paper questionnaire was distributed among all 195 nurses, who used the system. Included in the research were 93 (48%) respondents. Also twelve NIS-users were interviewed, using the USE IT-model.ResultsNurses express a broad need for information of each patient. Although the history is essential, the information needs are not very specified. They expect complete, correct, up-to-date and accessible information of each patient. The information quality of the NIS is satisfactory, but needs improvement. Since the achieved quality of information depends largely on the data-entry by the nurses themselves, a controversy exists between the required information quality and the effort needed to accomplish this.ConclusionsThe aspect of data-entry by the user of the information is not included in Information Quality-literature. To further increase the quality of information, a redesign of both process and system seems necessary, which reduces the information needs of nurses and rewards the nurse for accurate data-entry.

► Redesign of the Nursing Information System is necessary.
► Entering data is less micro-relevant than retrieving data.
► Information quality depends on the users.