The relationship between informatics competency and clinical competency in nurses working in intensive care units: A Cross-sectional Study in Northeast Iran

Background: The use of information technology improves the competency of nurses at the bedside. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between informatics competency and clinical competency in nurses working in intensive care units. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 135 nurses employed in intensive care units affiliated with Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, were included. The inclusion criteria were having at least a bachelor's degree in nursing, a minimum of six months of work experience in the ICU, and current employment in the ICU. The participants were enrolled in 2023 using a stratified sampling method with proportional allocation. Data were collected using demographic information forms, clinical competency questionnaires, and informatics competency questionnaires. Statistical inferential tests included Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, multiple linear regression, and generalized multiple linear regression models. The significance level for all statistical tests was set at 0.05. Results: The mean scores of the nurses' clinical competency and informatics competency were 58.41±8.80 and 45.67±18.88, respectively. There was no statistically significant correlation between these two variables (r = -0.07, p-value = 0.42). When examining the simultaneous effect of explanatory variables, only work experience in the ICU had a significant association with clinical competency (β = 0.3, P = 0.02). Moreover, informatics competency was significantly associated with gender (β = -12.93, P = 0.001) and the duration of using health information systems (β = -6.22, P = 0.008). Conclusion: There is no significant relationship between informatics competency and clinical competency among ICU nurses. It is suggested that health system policymakers introduce the components of nurses' informatics competence and emphasize their importance in the clinical setting to improve the quality of care. In addition, nurses should be encouraged to enhance their professional skills and acquire competency in new approaches by gaining updated knowledge.