American Research Journal of Nursing

Background: Nursing informatics is the specialty that integrates nursing science, information science, computer science, and cognitive science for the purpose of identify, manage, communicate and enhance healthcare data, information, knowledge, and wisdom to improve patient care and the nursing profession Aim: To assess nursing informatics competencies for nursing personnel in primary healthcare centers in Tabuk. Method: It is descriptive study. The study was conducted primary healthcare centers in Tabuk. Distributed based on proximity from the Hospitals into (king Khaled Hospital sector and King Fahad Hospital sector). Study subjects composed (217) nurses personnel. Nursing Informatics Competencies Questionnaire used for data collection. Results: The highest percentage of nursing personnel was female. More than half of study sample had associated nursing degree and less than one third of them had bachelor degree in nursing. About half of study subjects were capable of computer literacy competency and Informatics Literacy Competency. Meanwhile, about one third of them were capable in Information Management Literacy Competency. More than half of them were capable regarding total nursing informatics competencies. Conclusion: More than half of them were capable regarding total nursing informatics competencies. Meanwhile, more than one third were partially capable and less than one quarter of them was not capable. Recommendation: Involve nursing informatics competencies in nursing personnel performance appraisal. Conducts competency based nursing informatics training programs for nursing personnel according to their needs and to be up to date with new competencies. Develop curricular based competencies and further researches to investigate correlation between nursing informatics competencies and patient safety.