Ayala Gonen

How to enhance nursing students' intention to use information technology: the first step before integrating it in nursing curriculum.

Today, in the 21st century, information technology has an important and critical role in the healthcare delivery system. Nursing educators already know and understand that they should integrate nursing informatics into the nursing curriculum to prepare future nurses for the new world of information technology. However, as of now, the core program of nursing studies in Israel does not put an emphasis on the skills required to properly use nursing informatics. The present research is the first step toward achieving this target by recognizing the importance of the human factor. The main goal is to examine the correlation between nursing students’ attitudes and a number of variables: self-efficacy, threat, challenge, and innovativeness. This quantitative study used a convenience sample of nursing students in a bachelor’s degree program at a large academic center in central Israel. Results show significant positive correlations between nursing students’ attitudes to computer use and self-efficacy, a sense of challenge in using a computer, a sense of threat in using a computer, and previous experience with computers. The insights of these results will benefit nursing educators by helping them find creative ways to expose the students to the world of information technology and to improve the quality of future nurses.

The relationship between work climate and nurse educators' use of information technology

UNLABELLED Understanding organizational behavior and the attitudes of individuals in organizations is crucial for policymakers and managers. Work climate is a major part of these constructs. The main goal of this study was to examine the perceptions of academic nurse educators about their work climate, concerning the use of information technology (IT), including examining a number of variables such as self-efficacy, innovativeness, attitudes, intention to use, and actual use of information technology. METHOD This study used a quantitative research design, using written and online surveys submitted to 109 academic nurse educators working at ten different academic nursing schools in Israel. RESULTS The relationship between work climate and actual use of IT was mediated by personality characteristics such as attitude toward using IT, self-efficacy, and innovativeness. Work climate positively predicted both self-efficacy and attitudes toward IT, but did not directly predict innovativeness and did not predict actual use. CONCLUSION Policymakers and managers should consider work climate and personality characteristics as important factors in their efforts to promote IT use in nursing. As a result, nurse educators would become better acquainted with new technologies, and their acceptance of IT would improve. The organization would benefit from a better work environment and from enhanced performance.

The Impact of Nursing Students’ Cultural Diversity on the Intention and Attitudes Toward the Use of Information Technology

This research highlights the evidences that: The greater the threat, the lower the attitude toward information technology is, and the greater the sense of challenge, the greater self-efficacy is. Innovativeness was found to be a behavioral intention predictor in two groups, secular Jews and Arabs. This study provides nurses and nurse educators with some valuable insights about how culture, religion, and education may influence nursing students’ attitudes toward information technology.

Integrating Information Technology’s competencies into academic nursing education–An action study

Abstract Today, in the digital age, we are committed to prepare the future nurse for the information technology-rich workplace, and to help them reducing the “shock reality” upon arriving at the clinical setting. The main aim of the study is to promote the knowledge of Information Competencies Technology among nurses’ educators and student. The method was an action research process that started by collecting the data—by literature review, nurses’ interviews and students’ survey, analyzing and interpreting the data, and developing a plan of action, including curriculum change for the students and workshops for the nurse educators. Two benefits were driven from this action: updating and developing academic courses and adopting pedagogic tools for nurses’ educators. In conclusion, the overarching theme of this project is the need for Information Technology to be integrated within the larger body of the nursing learning program, and its implication for educators and students.

The Impact of Sociological Factors on Nurse Educatorsâ Use ofInformation Technology

Background: Today, as the rapid progress of Information Technologies (I.T) in health care continues, it is crucial to find out more information about the factors that might advance or hinder the nurses’ educators’ acceptance of technological changes. The main goal of this study was to explain the use of using I.T, by focusing on sociological factors like the impact of support and influence. The study design was a quantitative research, using a written and online survey. One hundred and nine academic nurse educators from ten different academic nursing schools in Israel participated. Results: support and influence predict actual use of I.T. The Chi-square Goodness-of-Fit index presented an excellent fit for the data (p=0.46; Normed Fit Index (NFI)=0.96; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)=0.00). The relationship between sociological factors from significant others and the actual use of IT was mediated by personality characteristics such as self-efficacy, and innovativeness. Conclusion: Management should ensure that sociological factors (such as support and influence) and personality characteristics (such as self-efficacy, attitudes toward I.T, and innovativeness) are considered when preparing to introduce new technologies to nurse educators. Enhancing support and influence and self-efficacy should be considered in the organization, in order to encourage favorable use among healthcare professionals.

Situated learning: The feasibility of an experimental learning of information technology for academic nursing students

Abstract As part of the Bachelor’s degree of nursing education, nursing students are exposed to the increasingly complex world of Information Technology. Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of a situated learning approach for Information Technology course by assessing students’ perceptions at the end of the course. Methods: Course participants completed a pre and post-course survey describing their knowledge and perceptions of the course. Results and discussion: Results demonstrated increased knowledge and satisfaction with this new learning strategy, which was also apparent in their good final course grades. Students had considerably more knowledge after the course (comparing to pre course survey), with a positive correlation between students’ perception of the usefulness of the course and their knowledge after completion of the course. Therefore, enhancing learning using a simulated learning curriculum may allow students to be more aware of the challenges that nurses face in actual practice, and may provide a more contextualized understanding of the issues relating to Information Technology.