Abstract
In order to examine the systematic information processing ability required for middle-level nursing managers in Japan and the education for it, a questionnaire asked middle-level nursing manager and nursing staff at the facilities where computer systems including electronic medical chart have been introduced. As for the items asking nursing information processing ability, we adopted 70 items that conform to the conditions in Japan out of the four-level list of nurses shown by Staggers et al. As background elements, the following was surveyed; 1) Category of the nursing basic education courses they were graduated from, 2) Whether they have a computer for private use, 3) Whether they have an adviser for use of computers, 4) Whether they think they are good at using computers and 5) Whether they have been accustomed to the introduced system. We received replies from 522 clinical nurses at 5 hospitals. 522 nurses were classified into three groups of 114 nursing managers, 248 nursing staff at age 29 or younger and 160 nursing staff at age 30 or older. The significant difference among groups was evaluated. The result shows that nursing managers have significantly acquired the skill in many items, that is, 35 out of 48 computer skill items and 21 out of 22 information knowledge skill items. Regarding 30 items nursing managers have acquired, the relations with the background elements were examined. Possession of a computer for private use self-estimation of computer skills and familiarity with system were significantly related. It is shown that the computer skill is highly likely to be acquired through using computers daily and getting familiarize to the introduced system by means of frequent use of it, and that the need of education is relatively lower than information knowledge and skill items.
