St. Kitts and Nevis establishes Nursing Informatics Advisory Committee to advance digital healthcare

St. Kitts and Nevis: The Ministry of Health has officially established a Nursing Informatics Advisory Committee (NIAC) to direct clinical governance of national digital health rollout.

The NIAC has been established as a subcommittee of the Institutional Nursing Services Clinical Governance Committee (INSCGC). The committee operates across Institution-Based Health Services (IBHS) and Community-Based Health Nursing Services (CBHS).

The establishment of NIAC reflects a significant landmark in the functioning of the Ministry of Health’s ongoing national initiative which aims to modernise healthcare services delivery. The objective is to develop a fully integrated Hospital Information System (HIS) and its embedded Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform.

This digital transformation of the healthcare sector is one of the most impactful developments in the history of St Kitts and Nevis’s healthcare positioning which is being implemented across IBHS and CBHS.

The formation and functioning of NIAC is being facilitated in partnership with the St. Kitts and Nevis Robotics Association. The association has provided technical support, systems training, and capacity-building training throughout the rollout process.

The establishment of the NIAC is significant because nursing services make up the largest clinical workforce within IBHS and CBHS and it bears primary and ongoing responsibility for patient assessment, care planning, medication management and clinical observation.

The nursing interests should be represented at every stage of the HIS/EHR implementation. It should be represented from vendor engagement and system configuration to testing, deployment, and post-implementation optimisation.

Reportedly, from now onwards, the NIAC will function as the designated clinical authority for all nursing-specific aspects of the HIS implementation. Its work will be to ensure that the digital platforms align with the established nursing frameworks and safeguard patient’s data. It also works to ensure that the digital platforms and its supporting physical infrastructure comply with Ministry of Health regulations and follow the clinical excellence standards laid down by the INSCGC.

The committee will be working closely with the Ministry of Information Technology, The St. Kitts and Nevis Robotics Association, and other relevant clinical departments or hospitals. It would ensure a seamless transition to digital health records management.

The Ministry of Health is looking forward to the work of the NIAC as the HIS/EHR rollout is developing rapidly. The ministry is confident that the committee’s leadership will be significant in ensuring the Federation’s goal to achieve digital health infrastructure will be fulfilled seamlessly.