[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51459-51460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-25195]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Final Project Requirements, Review Criteria, and Funding 
Preference for Regional Nursing Partnerships to Provide Continuing 
Education in Nursing Informatics for Faculty in Medically Underserved 
Communities

    The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces 
the final project requirements, review criteria and funding preference 
for the Cooperative Agreements for Regional Nursing Partnerships to 
Provide Continuing Education in Nursing Informatics for Faculty in 
Medically Underserved Communities. These cooperative agreements will be 
funded for one year under the Public Health Service Act, as amended by 
Nurse Education and Practice Improvement Amendments of 1992, Title II, 
Public Law 102-408, dated October 13, 1992, Section 820 (c), Continuing 
Education for Nurses in Medically Underserved Communities.

Purpose

    The purpose of the cooperative agreements is to support the 
formation of partnerships between recognized regional nursing 
organizations and nursing entities qualified to provide continuing 
education in nursing informatics for nursing faculty in schools located 
in, or preparing students to serve in, medically underserved 
communities. Nursing informatics is defined as the integration of 
nursing science, computer science, and information science applied to 
the identification, collection, analysis, and management of data for 
nursing education, practice, and research. Increasing the number of 
nurses in the workforce who are knowledgeable about nursing 
informatics, especially those practicing in underserved or rural 
communities, will enhance clinical proficiency and improve access to 
and quality of health care for increasing numbers in the population. 
For the purpose of these cooperative agreements, regional nursing 
organizations are those regionally based nursing organizations whose 
members must include schools of nursing in institutions of higher 
education located within the designated region, and whose members may 
also include health care agencies and other health care entities.
    The program announcement, published in the Federal Register at 61 
FR 37072, dated July 16, 1996, proposed project requirements, review 
criteria and funding preference. There was a 30 day comment period. 
Comments on program aspects that were not specifically proposed for 
public comment are not addressed in this notice.
    One comment was received concerning the project requirement for the 
nursing informatics continuing education program to be completed in a 
one-week, 30-36 hour session, that includes a computer lab practicum. 
The comment statement suggested that more suitable continuing education 
methodologies would include either delivering the entire course via the 
Internet, to be completed at each participant's own pace; or sponsoring 
student traineeships to attend graduate nursing informatics programs. 
Neither suggestion attends to the programmatic purpose of establishing 
partnerships between regional nursing organizations and nursing 
entities qualified to provide continuing education in nursing 
informatics for nursing faculty in schools located in, or preparing 
students to serve in, medically underserved communities. Therefore, the 
following project requirements; review criteria, and funding preference 
remain as proposed.

[[Page 51460]]

Eligibility and Final Funding Preference

    Eligible applicants include public and non-profit entities. A 
funding preference is defined as the funding of a specific category or 
group of approved applications ahead of other categories or groups of 
approved applications in a discretionary program. A funding preference 
will be given to recognized regional nursing organizations who enter 
partnerships with nursing entities experienced in teaching nursing 
informatics. These entities may include, but are not limited to, 
schools of nursing. The partner providing the nursing informatics 
expertise must be located within the recognized regional nursing 
organization's designated region. It is highly unlikely that any 
applicant not meeting the funding preference will be supported under 
this cooperative agreement.

Final Project Requirements

    1. Develop a formalized partnership between the regional nursing 
organization and nursing entities qualified to provide continuing 
education in nursing informatics.
    2. Establish an Advisory Board to oversee the development, 
administration, and evaluation of the project. The Advisory Board must 
include at least one non-academically based nurse practicing in a 
medically underserved community.
    3. Utilize an existing assessment of undergraduate and graduate 
nursing programs within the region to determine:
    (a) the availability of computer-based systems;
    (b) faculty knowledge, skills, and abilities in the use of 
computer-based systems; and
    (c) the ability of faculty to prepare students for practice in 
technologically advanced practice environments.
    4. Based on analysis of the assessment in #3, develop and implement 
four regionally-based nursing informatics continuing education programs 
during the 1997 academic year. Each continuing education program must 
be designed to:
    (a) enhance faculty knowledge, skills, and abilities in nursing 
informatics in the areas of computer technology; human factors; 
information and database management; professional practice, trends, and 
issues; system analysis and design; system implementation and support; 
system testing and evaluation; and theoretical frameworks;
    (b) include a computer lab practicum;
    (c) be completed in a one-week, 30-36 hour session;
    (d) be provided in two or more different geographic locations to 
facilitate participation by faculty from distant areas within the 
region;
    (e) enroll a minimum of 14 nursing faculty from schools of nursing 
located in or experienced in preparing nurses to serve in medically 
underserved communities;
    (f) provide participants a syllabus and reading materials prior to 
the session; and
    (b) award continuing education credit in nursing informatics.
    6. Project must be documented in a format to facilitate replication 
by other organizations.

Final Review Criteria

    The review of applications will take into consideration the 
following criteria:
    1. The need for the proposed project.
    2. The potential effectiveness of the proposed project in carrying 
out the stated purpose.
    3. The administrative and managerial capability of the applicant to 
carry out the proposed project.
    4. The efficacy of the proposed partnership.
    5. The adequacy of the facilities and resources available to the 
applicant to carry out the proposed project.
    6. The qualifications of the project director and proposed staff.
    7. The feasibility of the proposed budget in relation to the 
proposed project.
    8. The potential of the project to continue on a self-sustaining 
basis after the period of Federal support.
    If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact 
Meribeth Reed, PhD, RN, Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health 
Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn 
Building, Room 9-35, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. Dr. 
Reed may be reached by telephone at (301) 443-5763, by fax at (301) 
443-8586, or by e-mail at: ([email protected]).
    This program is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order 
12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs (as implemented 
through 45 CFR part 100). This program is also not subject to the 
Public Health System Reporting Requirements.

    Dated: September 26, 1996.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 96-25195 Filed 10-1-96; 8:45 am]
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