14: LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY ■ 327point of information mastery is that “the most important information is highly relevant
and highly valid and takes little work to obtain” (Ebell & Shaughnessy, 2003, p. S53).
The information being consumed should be related to a clinical question that is common
or important in practice, deals with patient outcomes, and could lead to change of clini-
cal practice (Ebell & Shaughnessy, 2003).
However, during a recent literature search (August 28, 2015) of the CINAHL data-
base, a keyword search for the term information mastery only produced seven results.
Another interesting observation is the majority of these results noted physicians and
residents versus nurses as participants. Doctoral APNs have opportunities to address
this gap and improve clinical practice using techniques such as information mastery.
■ TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS THAT CAN SUPPORT
THE DOCTORAL APN
As technological innovation continues, the list of tools that can be used to support
the doctoral APN’s practice continues to grow, and can be organized into four catego-
ries: (a) reference management, (b) data collection, (c) data analysis, and (d) report gen-
eration. Specific information regarding these tools is presented in Table 14.1.
Reference management tools can be divided into two subcategories: (a) basic refer-
ence management tools and (b) integrated reference management tools. Basic reference
management tools include web- based applications such as CiteULike, Connotea, and
JabRef. These tools allow the user to collect, organize, and share personal bibliographies
and information with colleagues. These resources permit access from any computer and
can facilitate collaboration with colleagues who share a similar research interest. Zotero
is similar to the other three tools; however, it offers the additional capability to cite your
research sources. A key characteristic shared by these tools is that the bibliography can
be accessed from any computer.
Integrated reference management tools take the basic reference management fea-
tures one- step further by integrating a literature database search with reference man-
agement and the writing process. Using the advanced functionalities of tools such as
TABLE 14.1 Selected Research Tools
Category Tool Website
Reference management CiteULike http://www.citeulike.org
Connotea http://www.connotea.org
JabRef http://jabref.sourceforge.net
Zotero http://www.zotero.org
Endnote ® http://www.endnote.com
RefWorks © http://www.refworks.com
Data analysis and report
generationPSAW (formally SPSS) http://www.spss.com
SAS http://www.sas.com
Atlas http://www.atlasti.com
NVivo http://www.qsrinternational.com
Crystal Reports http://crystalreports.comPSAW, Predictive Analytics Software; SAS, Statistical Analysis System; SPSS, Statistical Package in the Social
Sciences.