Making the Connection Between Nurses and Health IT

Digital transformation in healthcare isn’t a solo effort—it’s a team sport. While CIOs may set the strategy, they can’t lead the charge alone. Success depends on collaboration across the organization, and few voices are more critical than those of nurses and nurse leaders.

Nurses are on the front lines of patient care, navigating the daily challenges that health IT seeks to improve. However, involving these critical voices in digital strategy decision-making takes intention. Suppose healthcare organizations want to drive meaningful change? In that case, they must ensure that nurses have a seat at the table—partnering with CIOs to shape technology decisions that directly impact care delivery.

From maintaining legacy systems to adopting new scheduling tools, every IT decision affects nurses’ workflows, efficiency, and, ultimately, patient outcomes. By fostering stronger collaboration between nursing leadership and IT, healthcare organizations can create digital solutions that work for those who use them most.

Why bridging the gap matters

The ongoing nursing shortage, exacerbated by the departure of 100,000 nurses during the pandemic and the projected loss of nearly 900,000 by 2027, underscores the need to involve nurses in health IT decision-making. As hospitals and healthcare systems turn to technology to alleviate workforce pressures, solutions must be designed with direct input from those who use them daily.

Why? Nurses are on the front lines of patient care, and when IT solutions are adopted and implemented without their expertise, that can often lead to inefficiencies, increased administrative burden and frustration—factors that can easily contribute to nurse burnout and attrition.

By engaging nurses in selecting, designing, and implementing electronic health records (EHRs), clinical decision support apps, and other digital solutions, healthcare organizations can create a technology environment that enhances workflows, improves patient outcomes, and supports nurse retention.

It’s not just clinical tools that impact nurses’ day-to-day experience—scheduling challenges are also a persistent pain point. Giving nurses a voice in selecting scheduling tools can be a powerful way for CIOs to improve job satisfaction and support workforce sustainability.

For example, poorly designed scheduling tools requiring too many steps to request a shift or not allowing nurses to modify their schedules without going into the hospital can lead to frustration, burnout, and unnecessary administrative burdens. Conversely, user-friendly, nurse-informed IT solutions should help, not hinder, their ability to focus on direct patient care.

With nearly one-fifth of registered nurses expected to leave the workforce by 2027, healthcare leaders must prioritize technology that supports nurses in their roles.

Ways that CIOs can engage nurses

The only wrong way to engage nurses in the health IT decision-making process is not to engage them at all. Otherwise, CIOs should consider their organization’s size, structure, and available budget when bridging the gap.

At its basic level, bridging the gap should entail clear and open communication between the CIO and the CNO. This can be as basic as setting up regular meetings or digital forums where nurses can provide feedback on IT systems, report challenges, and suggest improvements.

To level up, CIOs could have an IT liaison or IT champion embedded in nursing departments or assign nurses to participate in IT decision-making committees, thus ensuring that frontline clinical experience informs technological changes.

Candidates for these roles include nurses who were eager adopters of previously implemented technology or those who share an interest in the intersection of IT and nursing. Additionally, hospitals could establish a formal training program that provides nurses with deeper IT expertise. CIOs could also encourage gaining certifications in nursing informatics or providing tuition reimbursement for courses in health IT.

For a more substantial commitment, hospitals can create dedicated nursing informatics teams responsible for optimizing the use of health IT systems. These teams can act as intermediaries between IT departments and clinical staff, translating technical capabilities into practical applications while advocating for nurses’ needs in technology development.

While all these options help bridge the gap, their costs can vary widely. But experts say it’s important to frame nurses joining the IT team as an investment, not an expense. Daniel O’Connor, RN, a former chief information officer, told HIMSS: “Be sure to show the value that IT nurses and clinicians can have in the language of your CFO. It is always important to build in an ROI model with hard numbers and cost/benefit scenarios in both ways—with and without these experts on the IT team.”

What nurses want CIOs to know about scheduling

Nurses want CIOs to understand that scheduling isn’t just an administrative task—it’s a critical factor in job satisfaction, work-life balance, and staff retention.

A cumbersome or outdated scheduling system can add unnecessary stress, forcing nurses to navigate frustrating processes to request time off, swap shifts, or check their schedules. Organizations can significantly ease this burden by investing in user-friendly scheduling tools that allow for remote access, self-scheduling, and seamless shift-swapping.

Optimizing scheduling also has a direct impact on staff turnover and shortages. When nurses have more control over their schedules—such as swapping shifts easily, seeing available shifts at a glance, or messaging colleagues internally—morale improves, meaning they’re less likely to leave due to burnout or frustration.

What’s more, a well-designed scheduling system reduces last-minute staffing gaps and reliance on expensive agency nurses, creating a more stable workforce. CIOs who prioritize scheduling optimization aren’t just improving workflows; they’re building a healthier, more sustainable work environment that supports both nurses and the broader healthcare system.

HealthStream’s nurse-approved scheduling solution

Developed by healthcare industry professionals, ShiftWizard is a streamlined employee scheduling solution trusted by thousands and is the fastest-growing staff scheduling tool in medical environments.

Easy to integrate and navigate, ShiftWizard’s user-friendly interface, streamlined scheduling features and personalized settings help to increase communication, improve work-life balance and reduce nurse burnout. Be the CIO who knows what nurses need—request a demo today.