Miguel I. Gómez-Flores, Facultad de Enfermería, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Pue., México
Erika Lozada-Perezmitre, Facultad de Enfermería, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Pue., México
Charlene Ronquillo, Faculty of Nursing British Columbia, Vancouver, Canadá
Introduction: Nursing Informatics (NI) is consolidating itself as an essential field in the digital transformation of healthcare systems, promoting optimized care, patient safety, and clinical decision-making through technologies such as electronic health records and decision support systems. However, challenges remain in integrating these advances with the discipline’s own theoretical frameworks. The Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom (DIKW) model offers a conceptual structure for understanding the transformation of data into clinical decisions, although its application requires analysis from a nursing perspective. Method: A narrative-based theoretical-conceptual analysis was conducted, based on a critical review of scientific literature on NI, the DIKW model, and the cognitive processes of nursing thought. Its articulation with the logical processes of induction, deduction, and abduction was examined, as well as its applicability in clinical contexts mediated by digital technologies. Results: The DIKW model allows for structuring the cognitive progression from data collection to informed decision-making, integrating clinical reasoning in nursing. The processes of induction, deduction, and abduction strengthen the interpretation of information and the construction of clinical knowledge. Applications were identified in patient care management and safety, as well as limitations related to the simplification of cognitive processes, data quality, and ethical and cybersecurity challenges. Conclusion: The DIKW model constitutes a useful framework for strengthening clinical decision-making in nursing, provided it is applied critically and contextually.
Keywords: Education nursing. Philosophy nursing. Nursing theory. Nursing informatics.