4.1. Limitations
There are several limitations to this study. The participants were not randomly selected; therefore, the respondents may not adequately represent the population of interest. The other limitation is that the informatics competencies data was collected through a self-report questionnaire. Consequently, nurse managers could under- or overestimate their informatics competency. However, since the self-ratings were not considered in a performance appraisal, there was little motivation to overestimate. To objectively assess informatics competencies, future studies should use other tools to measure the true level of the participants’ informatics competency.
4.2. Conclusion
In a field where technology changes on a daily basis, it is crucial for nurses and nurse managers to stay up-to-date on trends and information [12]. The results of this study confirmed that education level, experience in nursing administration, and information education/training were significant factors affecting informatics competency. Nursing informatics knowledge and skills are essential in modern nursing education (initial and continuing education programs) to ensure that nurses are proficient in technological and cutting-edge clinical applications [13]. Thereby, the nurses and nurse managers are able to offer the highest levels of patient care and safety.
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.
Authors’ Contribution
Li Yang and Dan Cui contributed equally to this work.
Acknowledgments
This project was supported by Ministry of Health of Heilongjiang Province (no. 2010-080). The authors acknowledge Michael D. Hart who provided the Informatics Competencies Questionnaire for nurse managers. They also thank all of the individuals who contributed to the study.