NURS 3420: Healthcare Informatics

The American Library Association (ALA) defines information literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." To be information literate, one needs skills in research and critical thinking.

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has published a set of information literacy standards for nursing, Information Literacy Competency Standards for Nursing. The five standards include:

• The information literate nurse determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
• The information literate nurse accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
• The information literate nurse critically evaluates the procured information and its sources, and as a result, decides whether or not to modify the initial query and/or seek additional sources and whether to develop a new research process.
• The information literate nurse, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
• The information literate nurse understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

A full copy of the ACRL standards and competencies can be found here: http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/nursing

A primary source in science is a document or record that reports on a study, experiment, trial, or research project. Primary sources are usually written by the person(s) who did the research, conducted the study, or ran the experiment, and include hypothesis, methodology, and results. Empirical research is considered a primary source.

Primary Sources include: 

• Pilot/prospective studies
• Cohort studies
• Survey research
• Case studies
• Lab notebooks
• Clinical trials and randomized clinical trials (RCTs)
• Dissertations

A secondary source lists, summarizes, compares, and evaluates primary information and studies so as to draw conclusions on or present current state of knowledge in a discipline or subject. Sources may include a bibliography which may direct you back to the primary research reported in the article.

Secondary Sources include:

• reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis
• newsletters and professional news sources
• practice guidelines & standards
• clinical care notes
• patient education information
• government & legal information
• monographs
• entries in nursing or medical encyclopedias

Government Resources

Resources from the federal government can provide credible information such as statistics, research, federal agencies, policy, briefings, and more. The following sites provide access to health-based information from government organizations:

• Department of Health and Human Services
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    • National Center for Health Statistics
  • Healthcare.gov
  • Healthfinder.gov
  • Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
    • National Library of Medicine (NLM)
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• Census Bureau - Health

Looking for more resources? The National Institute of Nursing Research provides a comprehensive list of federal government health resources, nursing organizations, and other helpful resources.

Academic Resources

Library databases are an excellent source of academic information. Use the Journals and Databases tab to locate nursing databases such as CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete, PubMed, and more.

Google Scholar can also be a source of academic resources. Be aware that you may not get full-text access to all items in Google Scholar. If you are unable to access an article, try searching the library databases or requesting the item through interlibrary loan.