Graduate Nursing Informatics Project Proposal

NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology
Assessment Brief: Nursing Informatics Project Proposal

This brief outlines a graduate-level assignment for NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology, focused on designing a realistic nursing informatics project that improves patient outcomes or care efficiency within a health system. The structure, length, and expectations mirror current informatics assignments used in similar graduate nursing courses in 2024–2025.​

Assignment Overview

In this assessment, you will develop a written project proposal that advocates for a specific nursing informatics initiative in your current or a selected healthcare organization. The proposal should demonstrate clear understanding of how health information technology, data, and nursing informatics can transform practice, strengthen decision making, and improve measurable outcomes.​

Length: 4–5 pages (excluding title and reference pages), double-spaced, using current scholarly evidence (2019–2025) to support your rationale and design.​

Learning Outcomes

By completing this assignment, you will:

• Apply core concepts of nursing informatics and health information technology to a real practice problem.​

• Evaluate how digital tools, data, and clinical information systems can influence patient outcomes, safety, and workflow efficiency.​

• Design a feasible informatics project that aligns with organizational priorities and stakeholder needs.​

• Describe the nurse informaticist’s role in system selection, implementation, and evaluation.​

Assignment Scenario

Assume you are an advanced practice nurse, nurse leader, or emerging nurse informaticist in a hospital, primary care network, community health setting, or long-term care organization. Leadership has requested a concise, evidence-based proposal for a nursing informatics project that can realistically be implemented within the next 12–18 months to address a clearly defined clinical or operational problem.​

Task: Nursing Informatics Project Proposal

Write a 4–5 page proposal to your organization’s leadership (e.g., Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Information Officer, Quality Director) that advocates for a specific technology-enabled initiative.

Section 1: Problem, Context, and Rationale

In this section, establish a focused problem statement and explain why it matters for patients, nurses, and the organization.​

Practice problem and context

Describe a specific, well-defined problem or gap in care that could be improved through informatics or digital technology (e.g., medication errors, delayed discharge planning, poor follow-up, high no-show rates, fragmented communication, low portal use, documentation burden, limited telehealth access). Clarify the setting (unit, service line, population, or organization type) and briefly describe current workflows or systems relevant to the problem.​

Evidence and significance

Summarize 3–5 recent peer‑reviewed studies or authoritative reports (2019–2025) that demonstrate the impact of similar problems and the potential of health IT or informatics solutions. Highlight key outcome metrics affected (e.g., readmissions, falls, adverse events, patient experience, provider burnout, documentation time, access disparities).​

Project aim

State a clear, measurable aim for your project (for example: “Within 12 months, reduce 30‑day readmissions in heart failure patients by 15% through integration of a remote monitoring program and EHR-based risk flags”).

Section 2: Proposed Informatics Solution

Here you translate the problem and aim into a concrete informatics project with clear components.​

Project description

Describe the proposed technology-based solution in practical terms (e.g., EHR optimization, clinical decision support, telehealth expansion, patient portal enhancement, mobile app, remote monitoring, AI‑supported risk prediction, standardized nursing languages integration). Explain how the project will change current workflows or processes and what will be different for nurses, interprofessional staff, and patients.​

Core functionalities and data

Identify what data will be captured, how it will flow through the system, and how it will support clinical reasoning and decision making. Address interoperability or data integration needs (e.g., linking EHR, pharmacy, lab, remote devices, or patient‑generated data) when applicable.​

Technology components

Specify the key technologies or systems required (e.g., EHR module, clinical decision support rules, telehealth platform, secure messaging, analytics dashboard, wearable sensors, AI algorithms) and give a brief rationale for each.​

Section 3: Stakeholders, Roles, and the Nurse Informaticist

This section clarifies who is affected, who must be involved, and how the nurse informaticist contributes to each phase.​

Stakeholder analysis

Identify primary and secondary stakeholders (e.g., bedside nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, pharmacists, patients and families, IT staff, quality and safety leaders, finance, health information management). Briefly describe the interests, potential benefits, and possible concerns for each key group.​

Project team and roles

Outline the proposed project team using roles (not individual names), such as nurse informaticist, clinical champion, super users, project manager, data analyst, vendor representative, and IT specialist. Describe the main responsibilities of each role across planning, implementation, and evaluation.​

Nurse informaticist role

Explain how the nurse informaticist will contribute at each phase of the systems development life cycle (needs assessment, design/selection, implementation, testing, evaluation, optimization). Emphasize how this role bridges clinical practice and IT to protect data integrity, usability, workflow fit, and clinical relevance.​

Section 4: Outcomes, Evaluation, and Data Governance

Here you show how the project’s impact will be measured and safeguarded.​

Outcomes and indicators

Specify at least three measurable outcomes related to patient care, safety, efficiency, equity, or provider experience, and define how each will be quantified. Distinguish between process measures (e.g., documentation completion rates, telehealth uptake) and outcome measures (e.g., error rates, readmissions, satisfaction).​

Evaluation plan

Describe the evaluation design at a basic level (e.g., pre‑post comparison, pilot on one unit, phased rollout), data collection periods, and how results will be reported to leadership and frontline staff.​

Data privacy, security, and ethics

Address how the project will comply with privacy and security expectations relevant to your context (e.g., HIPAA in the U.S., secure authentication, encryption, role‑based access). Note any equity, bias, or access concerns (such as digital divide, language barriers, algorithmic bias) and describe basic mitigation strategies.​

Section 5: Implementation Approach and Sustainability

This section focuses on feasibility, change management, and long‑term integration into practice.​

High‑level implementation plan

Outline major implementation phases with realistic timelines (e.g., planning, build/configuration, pilot testing, training, go‑live, optimization). Highlight key risks or barriers (staff resistance, workflow disruption, competing priorities, costs) and how they will be addressed.​

Education and training

Describe the training strategy for nurses and other end users, including approaches such as super users, just‑in‑time resources, simulations, or short micro‑learning modules.​

Sustainability and continuous improvement

Explain how the system and workflows will be monitored, optimized, and updated over time (for example user feedback loops, data review meetings, regular upgrades). Note how the project aligns with broader organizational digital health or quality strategies so it remains a priority.​

Formatting and Submission Requirements

Length: 4–5 pages, double‑spaced, not including title and reference pages.​
Format: Academic prose, organized with clear headings that mirror the sections above.​
Citation style: Use a consistent academic referencing style (e.g., APA or Harvard) as specified by your program; include in‑text citations and a reference list with current, peer‑reviewed sources (2019–2025).​
Sources: Minimum of 5 recent scholarly sources, plus reputable organizational or policy documents if relevant (e.g., WHO, government or professional societies).​
Submission: Upload as a single word‑processed document to the course learning management system by the due date indicated in your syllabus.​

Marking Criteria / Rubric (Indicative)

Use the following indicative criteria as a checklist when constructing your proposal.​

1. Problem Definition and Evidence (25%)

• Problem is specific, clinically meaningful, and clearly linked to informatics or technology.​

• Context is well described and grounded in current practice realities.​

• Argument is supported with recent, relevant, peer‑reviewed evidence and authoritative sources.​

2. Informatics Solution Design and Use of Technology (25%)

• Proposed solution is coherent, feasible, and appropriately scaled to the setting.​

• Technologies, data flows, and key functionalities are clearly described and logically connected to the problem and aim.​

• Demonstrates sound understanding of how informatics tools support clinical reasoning and decision making.​

3. Stakeholders, Roles, and Nurse Informaticist (20%)

• Stakeholders and project team roles are clearly identified and thoughtfully analyzed.​

• The nurse informaticist’s role is accurately described across the project life cycle and linked to change management and outcomes.​

4. Outcomes, Evaluation, and Governance (20%)

• Outcomes and indicators are specific, measurable, and aligned with the project’s aim.​

• Evaluation approach is realistic given data sources and organizational context.​

• Privacy, security, ethical, and equity considerations are explicitly addressed.​

5. Academic Writing, Structure, and Referencing (10%)

• Writing is clear, logically structured, and free of major grammatical or spelling errors.​

• Headings and flow make the argument easy to follow for a leadership audience.​

• Referencing is accurate, consistent, and current.​

Graduate nursing students often look for clear examples of NURS 6051 nursing informatics project assignments, including technology-focused proposal guidelines, realistic topics, and current rubric criteria for 2024 and 2025. This assessment brief reflects contemporary expectations for transforming nursing and healthcare through technology, with emphasis on digital health, EHR optimization, telehealth, and data‑driven quality improvement in advanced practice nursing

References

1. Bulto, L.N., 2024. Nurse‐led telehealth interventions: Bridging healthcare gaps. Nursing Open, 11(1), pp.1–13. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10784421/.​

2. Sutton, R.T., Pincock, D., Baumgart, D.C., Sadowski, D.C., Fedorak, R.N. & Kroeker, K.I., 2020. An overview of clinical decision support systems: Benefits, risks, and strategies for success. npj Digital Medicine, 3, 17. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-020-0221-y.​

3. Cato, K., Hossain, J. & Bakken, S., 2024. Nursing informatics: The vital nursing link between patient care and digital health. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 154, 104623. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11547278/.​

4. Charnock, V., 2019. Electronic healthcare records and data quality: A review of the literature. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 36(4), pp.367–378. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hir.12249.​

5. Jeffs, E., Pont, A., Harbour, J. & Dale, H., 2021. Effects of computerised clinical decision support systems on nursing and allied health professional performance and patient outcomes: A systematic review. BMJ Open, 11(12), e053886. Available at: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/12/e053886.