Theories in Nursing Informatics

A. Change Theories

    Computerization of information system involves change, moving from paper-based environment to a completely paperless environment. It can be minor or major change depending on the maturity of the previous system, most importantly the users of the information system.

1. Roger's Diffusion of Innovation Theory (unplanned change) - examines the pattern of acceptance that innovations follow as they spread across population of people who adopt it.

2. Lewin's Change Theory (planned change) - describes the processes that occur in a planned change into 3 stages.

B. Information Theories

1. Blum's Theory - Blum stated in 1986 that computer functions can be categorized into 3 groups:

*data is processed

*information is processed

*knowledge is processed

2. Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom Continuum

C. Cognitive Theory - Cognitive science includes mental models, skills acquisition, perception and problem solving that adds an understanding of how the brain perceives and interprets a computer screen.

Pirates of the Silicon Valley (Reaction)

The movie tells us the big persons that has a big impact and world known about their inventing about computers and how it is started. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, the two great persons who influence us with the Microsoft (Jobs) and Windows (Gates). It tells us how they are in person and in how did they first started especially when they are in college.

The artists were really look alike with the real face behind the movie. As you've research about Jobs and Gates, you would actually find that they are. It's a nice thing! As I've seen it first, I thought it was boring but as I've known it, it was actually how computers started. As it goes along, it really goes interesting. The funny thing about me is that I don't know actually who are the founders of it but as I've seen this movie, I know now about Microsoft and Windows and it's a nice movie that they produce it. It shows the success of them and they able to become World's popular and riches.

Pirates of the Silicon Valley

Casts:

Noah Wyle - Steve Jobs                                        

Joey Slotnick - Steve Wozniak

Anthony Michael Hall - Bill Gates

John DiMaggio - Steve Ballmer

Josh Hopkins - Paul Allen

Director: Martyn Burke

STORY:

*This tech-world biopic traces the fortunes of personal-computer companies Apple and Microsoft from their obscure dorm-room and backyard origins to their very public battle for corporate supremacy.

*Based on the Book: "Fire on the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer"

*Berkeley 1971 - The scene cuts to the University of Berkley campus, 1971, amidst a tear gas and students rioting, a young Jobs and Wozniak dash to safety.

*Harvard University 1974 - Bill Gates's story starts when he is a Harvard student more interested in poker than classes. However, for Bill and his friend Paul Allen, there is one thing more important than poker or even Playboys, and that is, of course, computers. In following an ad in a trade magazine with some fast talking by Bill, and their collective genius, Bill and Paul are hired to start writing a program language for the new ALTAIR computer.

*Berkeley 1976 (Homebrew Computer Lab) -  Jobs and Woz unveil their latest computer. It is obvious that while it is Wozniak's genius that built the computer, it was Jobs' genius that sells it.

*Albuquerque 1976 - Bill and Paul had quit Harvard and Bill's fast talking at the computer company MITS (maker of the ALTAIR) earned them a signing bonus and a double in royalties for their BASIC programming language, with that, Microsoft is born. It is during these years in Albuquerque, fueled by his own manic personality that Bill does everything from having a midnight race with bulldozers, to racking up so many speeding tickets that he is arrested and jailed.

*Albuquerque 1977 - Microsoft's First Office

*Computer Faire in San Francisco 1977 - Apple Computers Inc. was the star of the Fair

*Microsoft Offices Seattle in 1980

*All-one Commune Oregon

*Xerox Palo-Alto Research Center - Apple “steals” the mouse as well as the graphics from XEROX.

*3 Mos. later, John Sculley fired Steve Jobs

*Steve Wozniak teaches computer in children

*Bill Gates is currently the World's Most Wealthiest Man

*Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 and he finally accept Lisa as his daughter in his new family

Hardware

Personal computer hardware are the component devices that are the building blocks of personal computers. These are typically installed into a computer case, or attached to it by a cable or through a port. In the latter case, they are also referred to as peripherals. A computer case (also known as a computer chassis, cabinet, box, tower, enclosure, housing, system unit or simply case) is the enclosure that contains most of the components of a computer (usually excluding the display, keyboard and mouse). A computer case is sometimes incorrectly referred to metonymously as a CPU referring to a component housed within the case. CPU was a common term in the earlier days of home computers, when peripherals other than the motherboard were usually housed in their own separate cases. A power supply unit (PSU) converts alternating current (AC) electric power to low-voltage DC power for the internal components of the computer. Some power supplies have a switch to change between 230 V and 115 V. Other models have automatic sensors that switch input voltage automatically, or are able to accept any voltage between those limits. Power supply units used in computers are nearly always switch mode power supplies (SMPS). The SMPS provides regulated direct current power at the several voltages required by the motherboard and accessories such as disk drives and cooling fans. The motherboard is the main component inside the case. It is a large rectangular board with integrated circuitry that connects the other parts of the computer including the CPU, the RAM, the disk drives (CD, DVD, hard disk, or any others) as well as any peripherals connected via the ports or the expansion slots.
The expansion card (also expansion board, adapter card or accessory card) in computing is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot of a computer motherboard or backplane to add functionality to a computer system via the expansion bus.
An example of an expansion card is a sound card that enables the computer to output sound to audio devices, as well as accept input from a microphone. Most modern computers have hardware support for sound integrated in the motherboard chipset but some users prefer to install a separate sound card as an upgrade. Most sound cards, either built-in or added, have surrounded sound capabilities and 3-D sound effects.
Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, refers to computer components and recording media that retain digital data. Data storage is a core function and fundamental component of computers.

Internet

           

             My question is in the social life of a person especially to those who are in middle and high class society that can really surf the internet everyday is that "Can't you surf the internet the whole day or maybe not, can you?" I doubt it because they are born with social class and I believe that using internet now becomes the norm of us. I know that the Internet is hard to disappear because of the mainly reasons that it gives us information and easy access to get that information. There also other services on the internet like E-mail, Bulletin board system, Chat, Instant messages, Listservs, Newsgroups, Videoconferencing, downloading, and uploading.

Using internet really is addictive because there are so many web sites that we can actually browse like the vast approaching of the social networking's like Facebook and Twitter. Me and my family obsess that but I know how to manage my addicted to it. All I can say is that it's not wrong to use the internet but it's how the people use it because many of the reason that they actually abused it to the point that it's becomes immoral.

Network System

                A network is formed when two or more computers are connected by wire or wirelessly, for sharing of information and communication purposes. Network systems are essential to effective functioning of computerized healthcare information system. In a network system, only one copy of the system and application software is installed on the server or central computer and cheaper licenses are encoded to the client computers, thus the cost of maintaining the software is significantly reduced. A single printer, scanner or peripheral may serve all computers connected to the local network. The network allows several clients to access and make use of the same program simultaneously.

               Most networks operate under the client/server system including healthcare networks and the Internet. Under this scheme, a connected computer can be either a client, a server or both. A client computer has software that allows it to request and receive files from the server. The server has software that can accept these requests, find appropriate file, and transmit it back to the client. The client computer receives the transmission and interprets it.

                The clinical section with nurses using mobile and portable systems like electronic chart, PDAs, computer on wheels (COW) and electronic monitoring system, and wireless network connectivity would benefit most from wireless system. A virtual private network can be established at home or a remote office, say, for a chief information officer or healthcare administrator or physician. The home or office PC connects to the ISP server and transmits data via an encrypted channel to the HIS network server of the healthcare institutions.

The Nurse-Computer Interface

A nurse-computer interface is a part of a workplace where nurse's modified activity meets with a computer adapted for human use for enhanced productivity while maintaining harmony with nature. As the use of computers in nursing increases, ergonomics is of increasing importance to the nurse as an individual and in the provision of care. A nurse has to be familiar with light (LED) indicators, their behavior and what  they mean about the computer. They are usually put in front of a system unit or a device where you can easily see them.
A nurse has to be familiar also with symbols or labels found on hardware components. It is now generally accepted that computers are regarded as indispensable tools in nursing care and other areas administration, education, and research. Nurse great involvement in information system advancements clearly shows that nurse and computers do fit.

Elements of a Computer System

Computer System consists of the four essential elements:
   hardware
   software
   data
   user

The hardware components
    This will allows you to enter information, view work, process and transmit data and store information for later retrieval.

The software and the graphical user interface
     Graphical user interface provides a way to point and click with a mouse or other pointing device to select options and manipulate objects displayed on screen. Nowadays, application windows present with web-like features and functions, more appealing to the market as most users are already familiar on features of web-pages in the internet.

The nurse as a user
      The nurse just like any user has to interact with the computer for it to do function.

The electronic data
      To be useful, electronic data must undergo three processes namely: transmission, processing, and storage.

Do Nurses and Computer Fit?

                   

                     Nursing Informatics is very important as it is give us the knowledge basically in the computer systems especially nowadays our technology is advancing. As we are still in nursing student, it is much easier for us to work with in the future if we are already exposed to computers. As I have remembered, I was able to used the computer when I was in high school already because in elementary I'm afraid to use it because my parents told me that I might break the computer or do unnecessarily to it. As I knowing more of it in high school, it became fun of me because of the games especially social network before was improving like Friendster and in the college I'm totally addicted to computers because I've been reading a lot about my favorite K-Pop artists and watching a lot of movies and dramas and aside from it I gained knowledge especially when you want to research about a certain topic. That made computer interesting. Now, since I'm a nursing student where the course Nursing Informatics is taught, I gained more specialized knowledge and skills aside from the knowledge I gained from extracurricular activities. 

                     As I've learned about Nursing Informatics, I will not have a hard time to adapt with nursing informatics applications in the working field in the future. I know this won't be as easy as I will expect but nurses are always and should be ready as we will apply it to the working field. As models of health care, we should properly use the computers for us to be able to work properly and to provide essential care to the patients with proper information that we need to give to them. Technology is advancing so as nurses and other medical team should use it properly and beneficially.