A Survey of Nurse Informatics Competencies of Professional Nurses in Clinical Practice Public Hospitals in South Africa

Competence in Nursing Informatics (NI), is vital for efficient nursing care in today’s technologically-enabled healthcare environment. In South Africa, little is known on the competence of professional nurses in clinical practice in nursing informatics. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional descriptive survey to examine self-rated competence in nursing informatics among 205 nurses in clinical practice across two hospitals in the Western Cape. The TANIC© scale was used to rate the skills of participants in computer literacy, clinical information management, and information literacy. Results: The highest rating was received for computer literacy, approaching a ‘comfortable’ competency level. Lower scores were received for clinical information management and information literacy, indicating ‘novice’ to ‘advanced beginner’ levels. Conclusion: The study showed that practicing nurses have a limited level of nursing informatics competence, especially in the domains of clinical information management and information literacy. These findings support the need for educational programmes to extend beyond basic computer skills and prioritize continuous professional development in nursing informatics.