Improving computer skills to support hospital restructuring

A vital part of restructuring in hospitals is a continuing effort to find w ays to meet the growing demands of caregivers for efficient ways to enter a nd retrieve patient information. The process of effectively meeting these d emands was coordinated through the leadership and efforts of the chief nurs e executive and the information manager for nursing at New York Veterans Af fairs Medical Center. These efforts resulted in timely support for restruct uring, improvement in the development of competency skills among nursing st aff, and increase in the use of electronic methods for documentation of pat ient care. Discussion of the changes implemented include approaches and con tent of training for computer skills development, a position description fo r an expanded role of a nurse in the field of informatics, and the facility 's structure that fits a patient-centered care model.