Nurse practitioner utilization of information technology

Information technology (IT) has the potential to alter the delivery of health care, however, the utilization of IT varies among health care providers and practice settings (Gans et al., 2005). The current status of nurse practitioner utilization of information technology must first be identified in order to explore the perceived benefits offered by IT's use in practice as well as concerns that may deter IT's utilization.;The purpose of this study was to explore the status of Wisconsin nurse practitioners' utilization of information technology. The study focused on identifying the current applications of information technology as well as identified concerns regarding IT utilization in practice.;A quantitative pilot study was the approach of this study. To answer the research questions "what is the current status of information technology utilization by nurse practitioners in Wisconsin?" and "what are the demographic characteristics of nurse practitioners in Wisconsin utilizing information technology?" participants were surveyed using an adapted form of The Kentucky Ambulatory Network Practitioner Survey and a demographic questionnaire.;A sample of 100 nurse practitioners was randomly selected from the list of Wisconsin Advanced Practice Nurse Prescribers. Fifty-two of the one hundred participants (N = 52) completed and returned the survey for a response rate of 52%. Data were analyzed using Chi Square and descriptive statistics.;When the nurse practitioners were asked if they currently used electronic medical records, 38 (73%) out of 51 nurse practitioners reported they were already using this application, while 14 (27%) were not. When the participants were asked whether they believed the use of personal digital assistants (PDA) for electronic prescribing would reduce medication errors and improve the quality of care, 40 (77%) agreed, yet only 19 (37%) reported using personal digital assistants in their practice. When asked specifically if they used e-mail to communicate with patients, the majority (60%) indicated they were not using e-mail to communicate with patients.;Nurse practitioners in Wisconsin are utilizing information technology, however the applications utilized varied among providers. The potential opportunity to improve the information technology available to health care providers may not be seen until more nurse practitioners implement its use in practice.