Abstract
AimTo report on the relationship between competence and confidence in nursing students as users of information and communication technologies, using principal components analysis.DesignIn nurse education, learning about and learning using information and communication technologies is well established. Nursing students are one of the undergraduate populations in higher education required to use these resources for academic work and practice learning. Previous studies showing mixed experiences influenced the choice of an exploratory study to find out about information and communication technologies competence and confidence. A 48‐item survey questionnaire was administered to a volunteer sample of first‐ and second‐year nursing students between July 2008–April 2009. The cohort (N = 375) represented 18·75% of first‐ and second‐year undergraduates. A comparison between this work and subsequent studies reveal some similar ongoing issues and ways to address them.MethodsA principal components analysis (PCA) was carried out to determine the strength of the correlation between information and communication technologies competence and confidence. The aim was to show the presence of any underlying dimensions in the transformed data that would explain any variations in information and communication technologies competence and confidence. Cronbach's alpha values showed fair to good internal consistency.ResultsThe five component structure gave medium to high results and explained 44·7% of the variance in the original data. Confidence had a high representation. The findings emphasized the shift towards social learning approaches for information and communication technologies. Informal social collaboration found favour with nursing students. Learning through talking, watching and listening all play a crucial role in the development of computing skills.
Highlights
The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) is a complex and ambitious set of projects intended to transform the use of information technology in the NHS
National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) is characterised by a centralised management structure and large-scale procurement from private suppliers
The Department defended the progress made by NPfIT to date, arguing that the programme is on course to succeed
Summary
Electronic patient record (EPR) systems have the potential to bring huge benefits to patients and are being implemented in health systems across the developed world. Safe and effective data sharing, the fundamental aim of DCR systems, requires a more standardised approach to the recording of clinical information To this end, the agreement on a universal coding language for the NHS, SNOMED-CT, and a single unique patient identifier, the NHS number, are important achievements. We recommend that Connecting for Health work with professional bodies to develop information standards for the recording of clinical data in the various specialities and care settings across the NHS. The development of the SCR and DCR will offer the SUS access to clinical data which are more timely, better integrated and of a significantly higher quality than those currently available This is likely to transform the SUS and offers significant benefits, most notably for health research. By clearly restating its aims, providing timetables and indicating how they will be met, and ensuring local organisations take charge of deployment, Connecting for Health can still ensure that NCRS is a success
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
