Nursing informatics: reflections on an exploration of tutor and student perceptions

Abstract

The inclusion of health informatics in programmes of nursing is relatively new in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Consequently, there is a dearth of qualitative research on how students perceive nursing informatics and how it is best learned. This exercise explores these areas from the perspectives of a teacher in the subject and a student in the class. It indicates the potential for further research on the implications of teaching and learning technology in a predominantly feminized setting. Participant observation of 15 women students in a computer suite generated questions for semi-structured interviews with the teacher and student. The approach used for the exercise was participatory with a feminist perspective; an approach that proved challenging, with learning from the process becoming a significant component. The commitment to adhere to the participatory approach has resulted in this article being co- authored, with the perspectives of a participant being inserted to give readers a glimpse of some of the realities of the use of a qualitative approach to research.