The Roles and Contributions of Informatics Nurses in Clinical Practice: A Qualitative Study.
As health technology has advanced, roles such as nurse informaticist, nurse informatician, and nurse informatics specialist have emerged to support its integration into clinical care. Despite growing demand for these nurses, there is limited understanding of how nurses are engaging in informatics across the Canadian health care system. Using a qualitative descriptive design and thematic analysis, this study aimed to explore the various nursing informatics roles that Canadian nurses assume in clinical practice settings, their experiences, and their contributions. Twenty-two nurses employed in nursing informatics roles within clinical settings in a Western Canadian province participated in semistructured interviews between September 2024 and February 2025. Findings revealed 3 themes: (1) qualifying for and advancing in nursing informatics roles, (2) rewarding aspects of nursing informatics roles, and (3) challenges associated with nursing informatics roles. Despite limited formal informatics education, this study shows that nurses are keen to assume nurse informatics roles given their clinical knowledge, but would benefit from more role clarity and support to advance their practice. Supporting nurses in developing their informatics practice roles not only advances the profession but also ensures the delivery of safe patient care in technologically enabled environments.