what are some ways that nursing informatics could be applied to all areas of professional nursing practice, including clinical practice, administration, education, and research. Provide examples of each. What do you see as the biggest significance of nursing informatics, and why

According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the HIMSS, Nursing informatics is a specialty involved in integrating nursing science through multiple analytical and information sciences that help in identifying, defining, managing, and communicating wisdom, data, knowledge and  information in nursing practice.

Step-by-step explanation

In clinical practice, nursing informatics assists in several ways such as; Improved Documentation, Reducing Medical Errors by the use of EMR (electronic medical records), reducing costs, improving the coordination of patient care (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). Additionally, In Administration nursing informatics assists in providing quality assurance, provides automated staff scheduling and also allows the administration to conduct an efficient and effective cost analysis. 

Also Nursing informatics in education uses methods and techniques that take advantage of different software and hardware tools. Some examples of nursing informatics techniques that apply in nursing education include online /e-learning/distance learning education used in online tutorials, course management systems, and virtual classrooms (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021).

 In the nursing education field, nursing informatics assists in conducting computerized record maintenance and in understanding the use of video technology in providing quality health care. Furthermore, in research, nursing informatics helps in management and discovery of new and advance knowledge that relates to disease and health. This include information management that relates to several clinical tests and trials and also comprising of informatics relating to the clinical data use in secondary research. 

Nurse informatics like any other health care informatics (physicians, pharmacists, etc.), plays a fundamental role in the continuous improvement and development of health care technology. One of the biggest significance in nursing informatics is effective communication, thus aiding in patient safety (Saba & McCormick, 2015). Nurse informatics has improved and developed technology such as; EMR electronic medical records and computerized provider ordering which are very crucial in patient-nurse communication and also reduces health care costs, medical errors, and patient care delays'.

 For example, prior to the installation of EMRs in hospitals, nurses would use paperwork that was sometimes exhausting. This caused errors that resulted in miscommunication with patients, their families, or carers, omissions, and delays. However, the current software health care providers are only required to simply click a button and make their desired selections.