Big Data: Why Should Canadian Nurse Leaders Care?

Big data using data science methods (data analytics) has the potential to effectively inform strategies to address complex healthcare challenges. However, this potential can only be realized if healthcare professionals have the requisite depth and breadth of knowledge (i.e., informatics competencies). With the emergence of electronic health records (EHRs - commonly known as clinical information systems [CISs]) in healthcare organizations, data analytics that can "interrogate" CIS big data are now possible. In its digitized form, CIS healthcare data meant to support real-time, evidence-based practice decisions and guide new health policy directions remain more of a conceptual promise than a practice reality. Further, the "data rich information poor" phenomenon existing with today's CISs is often the reality for nurses who document more patient information compared to other healthcare professionals and get negligible results in return. However, data science methods when applied to CIS big data are "uncovering" new evidence currently unavailable through traditional data analytic approaches. Big data science is predicted to provide immense opportunities for nurse leaders by offering robust, electronic tools, which support informed decision-making at corporate tables and "arm" all point-of-care/service clinicians with real-time evidence. In this article, we provide a perspective on how the field of data science can enable informatics-savvy nurse executives to lead clinical transformation in the development of the next generation of evidence-based practice, "practice-based evidence."

Advancing the Digital Health Discourse for Nurse Leaders.

Limited informatics competency uptake is a recognized nursing leadership challenge impacting digital practice settings. The health system's inability to reap the promised benefits of EHRs is a manifestation of inadequate development of informatics competencies by chief nurse executives (CNEs) and other clinicians. Through the application of Transformational Leadership Theory (TL), this discussion paper explains how informatics competencies enable CNEs to become transformational nursing leaders in digital health allowing them to meet their accountabilities to lead integrated, high-quality care delivery through evidence based practices (EBPs). It is proposed that successful CNE eHealth sponsors will be those armed with informatics competencies who can drive health organizations' investment in technology and innovation. Finally, some considerations are suggested in how nurse informaticists globally play a critical role in preparing our existing and future CNEs to fulfill their transformational leader roles in the digital age.

The Big Data Revolution: Opportunities for Chief Nurse Executives.

Informatics competency adoption is a recognized issue across nursing roles in digital health practice settings. Further, it has been suggested that the health system's inability to reap the promised benefits of electronic health/patient records is, in part, a manifestation of inadequate development of informatics competency by chief nurse executives (CNEs) and other clinicians (Amendola 2008; Simpson 2013). This paper will focus on CNE informatics competency and nursing knowledge development as it pertains to the Big Data revolution. With the paper's aim of showing how CNEs armed with informatics competency can harness the full potential of Big Data offering new opportunities for nursing knowledge development in their clinical transformation roles as eHealth project sponsors. It is proposed that informatics-savvy CNEs are the new transformational leaders of the digital age who will have the advantage to successfully advocate for nurses in leading 21st-century health systems. Also, transformational CNEs armed with informatics competency will position nurses and the nursing profession to achieve its future vision, where nurses are perceived by patients and professionals alike as knowledge workers, providing the leadership essential for safe, quality care and demonstrating nursing's unique contributions to fiscal health through clinically relevant, evidence-based practices (McBride 2005b).

Innovation in transformative nursing leadership: nursing informatics competencies and roles.

In a recent brief to the Canadian Nurses Association's National Expert Commission on the Health of Our Nation, the Academy of Canadian Executive Nurses (ACEN) discussed leadership needs in the Canadian healthcare system, and promoted the pivotal role of nursing executives in transforming Canada's healthcare system into an integrated patient-centric system. Included among several recommendations was the need to develop innovative leadership competencies that enable nurse leaders to lead and advance transformative health system change. This paper focuses on an emerging "avant-garde executive leadership competency" recommended for today's health leaders to guide health system transformation. Specifically, this competency is articulated as "state of the art communication and technology savvy," and it implies linkages between nursing informatics competencies and transformational leadership roles for nurse executive. The authors of this paper propose that distinct nursing informatics competencies are required to augment traditional executive skills to support transformational outcomes of safe, integrated, high-quality care delivery through knowledge-driven care. International trends involving nursing informatics competencies and the evolution of new corporate informatics roles, such as chief nursing informatics officers (CNIOs), are demonstrating value and advanced transformational leadership as nursing executive roles that are informed by clinical data.