Investigation and Comparison of Nursing Informatics Development Factors in Iran and Selected Countries: a Comparative Study

Nursing informatics is effective on the optimal use of technology and health promotion. Using the experiences of successful countries in this field, can facilitate the improvement of nursing care quality. The purpose of this study is a comparison of nursing informatics development factors in Iran and leading countries.

The present study was conducted in a descriptive-comparative study in 1398. The leading countries in nursing informatics were selected by determining the top countries with the highest number of articles published in the field of nursing informatics. Research steps were based on Rosswurm and Larrabee’s Conceptual Model. The principles of the TIGER international project as indicators were reviewed in the literatures of Iran and selected countries and compared with the comparative matrix.

The results showed that Iran with 15 years of activity in the field of nursing informatics is new and the United States with a history of 60 years of activity in this field has been the most pioneer. In terms of development factors of nursing informatics, Iran scored the lowest activity in the comparative study compared to the countries surveyed, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Taiwan. Iran is not in a desirable position compared to these countries in terms of indicators of management and leadership, education and training, communication and cooperation, informatics design, information technology, policy-making and culture in nursing informatics.

Considering the importance of using information technology in nursing, providing national empowerment programs for nurses can improve the useful use of information tools in order to improve the quality of nursing services and the outcome of health care.