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David answered on
Dec 21 2021
Running Head: Contemporary Nursing Issues in Australia
Running Head: CONTEMPORARY NURSING ISSUES IN AUSTRALIA
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CONTEMPORARY NURSING ISSUES IN AUSTRALIA
Contemporary Nursing Issues in Australia
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Institution
Contemporary Issues in Nursing in Australia
Introduction
In recent years, the role of nurses working in Australia has developed rapidly. For instance, between 2004 and 2006, Australia recorded a general increase in the number of nurses working in general practice, which indicated a 23 percent rise compared to previous statistics. Probably, this increase was sti
ed by the role of Australian Government and other global organizations (Mills & Fitzgerald, n.d, p. 2). However, much of public focus in Australia is devoted on the healthcare system, nursing not being an exception. This is because of a number of diverse issues that continue to affect this system, which are considered not only a national problem but also global crises. One of the contemporary issues affecting nursing in Australia is the use of information technology (IT) (Eley, et al, n.d, p. 2). This discourse, in its analysis of the issue, examines the problem by giving an overview of the issue, computer accessibility by nurses, confidence and experience in computer and information technology usage, and use of computers for work related purposes. In addition, some of the impacts that limited use of information technology exerts on the healthcare system in the country are outlined. A logical conclusion, which gives a general view about the issue in Australian nursing system, will be given as a means to end the discussion.
An Overview of the Issue of Information Technology in Australian Nursing System
Information technology, as globally perceived, plays a vital role in the delivery of healthcare services. In Australia, efficiency of nursing system relies heavily on information technology. Information technology facilitates improved healthcare delivery as well as cutting down on costs of operation. However, use of information technology remains a challenge to the nursing system. Studies indicate that IT use in Australian nursing system is still demanding as not all nurses have expertise in using it and a number of them portray minimal competency in it. Furthermore, IT in nursing and confidence and experience nurses have in IT use proves wanting. Perhaps, some of the factors influencing this phenomenon are attitude and perception held by nurses about IT, which results from ba
iers in adequate acquisition of education and training in it (Eley, et al, n.d, p. 2).
Access to Computer and Use
Nurses’ physical access to computers and IT use varies largely among countries, Australia being one of them. Although researches suggest that use of computer by nurses is comparatively high in Australian’s public hospitals, access to it proves problematic. For example, recent studies ca
ied out in Brisbane hospitals indicated that use of computer among nurses stood at 98.5%. However, only 67.5% of the nurses termed their access to computer adequate. In another study ca
ied out on remote nurses,...