he impact of COVID-19 on health informatics: Supporting health information technology innovation through timely knowledge synthesis and exchange

Social distancing has led to increased use of technology, including within healthcare settings. The current reality has necessitated this change very quickly, but with little analysis. This project aims to examine what has worked best internationally and share best practices. Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing professor, Charlene Ronquillo, along with international collaborators, will conduct an international, cross-sectional exploratory study to collect feedback from those working with healthcare information technology in order to identify effective technologies. "Health informatics professionals do not have the capacity, during the crisis, to share their experiences and expertise broadly with others, so we hope to bridge that gap," says Ronquillo. "Valuable knowledge is being developed on employing effective technology solutions, but it's currently held in silos. This will be the first centralized platform to collect and share information about what works best in clinical settings, internationally." In a truly global effort, joining her in this project are Maxim Topaz, external link, Columbia University School of Nursing (New York City, USA), Laura-Maria Peltonen, external link, University of Turku Nursing Science (Turku, Finland), Dari Alhuwail,, external link Kuwait University (Kuwait City, Kuwait), James Mitchell, external link, Keele University (Staffordshire, UK), and Tracie Risling,, external link University of Saskatchewan, with support from the Canadian Nursing Informatics Association, external link, Alliance for Nursing Informatics (USA), external link, and the International Medical Informatics Association (International), external link.