BY FACULTY FOR FACULTY A Sense of Urgency: Integrating Technology and Informatics in Advance Practice Nursing Education Constance L. Swenty, DNP, RN, and Jennifer L. Titzer, DNP, RN ABSTRACT Health care is embracing technology and informatics systems that support documenting assessment findings, evaluating diagnostic labs and procedures, ordering medical tests, and coding for billing. Although advanced practice nurses possess these essential skills, are they adequately prepared to utilize this technology? In this article, we explore the external forces and current trends driving the use of informatics in health care and the need to integrate this content into the advanced practice nursing education curriculum. Kotter’s sense-of- urgency framework demonstrates the integration of technology into an existing advanced practice nursing curriculum. A hypothetical advanced practice nursing program incorporating technology into specific courses is presented. Keywords: advanced practice nursing, informatics, technology, urgency Ó 2014 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. T echnology is an element of informatics and assists in the exchange of information and in clinical decision-making. Advance practice nurses (APNs) use technology to document assess- ment findings, evaluate diagnostic labs and pro- cedures, order required medical tests and medications, and bill appropriately. Although current health-care practice requires APNs to possess these essential skills, are they adequately prepared to utilize this technol- ogy? The purpose of this article is to explore the external forces and current trends driving the use of technology in health care and the need to integrate this content into an APN curriculum. Kotter’s framework is used to stress that a sense of urgency is needed to integrate technology into an existing APN program. EXTERNAL DRIVING FORCES According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), APNs have an integral role in delivering patient care in the acute-care and com- munity settings. The PPACA outlines specific health- care benefits available to Americans that will cover millions of uninsured citizens. 1 The expansion of the health-care services and benefits to Americans directly affects the number of essential primary care health- care providers and the APN’s role. Karen Daley, president of the American Nurses Association, recently noted that nurse practitioners (NPs) are educated and trained to provide primary health care to the many citizens who will receive health-care benefits with the PPACA. 2 The Institute of Medicine has addressed safety and technology within the acute-care setting in The Future of Nursing Report. 3 The report notes that nurses interact with patients gathering important data that can potentially reduce medical errors and improve patient outcomes. 3 APNs in the acute-care setting must be aware of the need for streamlining technology systems that support the bedside nurse, meet patient goals, and improve pa- tient care. Technology Informatics Guiding Education Re- form (TIGER) identifies technology and informatics competencies that all nurses should possess. These competencies include basic computer skills, infor- mation literacy, and an understanding of information management. 4 Integrating informatics into nursing education is one of the seven pillars identified in TIGER’s 10-year plan. This plan calls for education www.npjournal.org The Journal for Nurse Practitioners - JNP e57