PHILADELPHIA – A partnership between Eclipsys and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, or Penn Nursing, will bring the healthcare IT company's technology and clinical expertise into the nursing curriculum.

Eclipsys and Penn Nursing share the same values of promoting evidence-based practice, said Kathryn Bowles, RN, associate professor of Nursing at Penn Nursing.

More clinicians use Eclipsys solutions for physician order entry than any other similar solution, and an more than half a million clinical-care team users across 245 client sites, representing more than 1,500 hospitals, use Eclipsys solutions, said James Cato, RN, Eclipsys vice president and chief nursing officer.  

That said, Cato noted that regardless of the vendor supplying the solution in nursing schools graduates gain knowledge and understanding of the benefits of clinical information systems in general.

Any exposure to systems like Eclipsys is a plus, Bowles agreed. Understanding the components of electronic health records, or EHRs, and how to use data for such things as clinical disease management helps reduce orientation time for EHR systems, she said.

Nursing students trained on clinical information systems make quicker, easier transition into their new work environments, which saves time and money in new employee orientation, Cato said.

"I've also noticed that students who learn in nursing programs with clinical information systems stimulate more rapid nurse adoption of technology because they tend to serve as mentors," he said.

That type of environment is very much needed in nursing, Bowles said. "One of the goals is graduating nurses who know what to ask for, to be advocates for healthcare IT in hospitals, physician offices and clinics," she said.

As more and more healthcare systems develop nursing informatics committees, graduates from Penn Nursing will prove to be ideal candidates for these positions, she added.

Bowles said she hopes the expertise in and efficiencies gained by clinical information systems will relieve the staffing burden created by the nursing shortage.