Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the role of nurse managers in supporting point-of-care nurses' health information technology (IT) use and identify strategies employed by nurse managers to improve adoption, while also gathering point-of-care nurses' perceptions of these strategies.
BACKGROUND: Nurse managers are essential in facilitating point-of-care nurses' use of health IT; however, the underlying phenomenon for this facilitation remains unreported.
METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 10 nurse managers and 14 point-of-care nurses recruited from a mental health hospital environment in Ontario, Canada. Inductive and deductive content analyses were used to analyze the semistructured interviews.
RESULTS: Nurse managers adopt the role of advocate, educator, and connector, using the following strategies: communicating system updates, demonstrating use of health IT, linking staff to resources, facilitating education, and providing IT oversight.
CONCLUSIONS: Nurse managers use a variety of strategies to support nurses' use of health IT. Future research should focus on the effectiveness of these strategies.