In memorium
Virginia K. Saba, EdD, RN, FACMI, FAAN, an Adjunct Distinguished Scholar at Georgetown University, died on November 21, 2021. Dr. Saba was a vocal proponent for the development of nursing informatics, and her Clinical Care Classification (CCC) System, in which she included many NANDA-I nursing diagnoses, was her attempt to ensure that nursing care was made visible. Dr. Saba was inducted in to the American Academy of Nursing, and became a Living Legend of the Academy in 2002.
During her career, she served as a Nurse Officer, USPHS, providing national leadership and promoting technology in nursing practice. She served in academia, receiving the Distinguished Scholar Title from Georgetown University in 1997, where she integrated nursing technology in school of nursing programs, facilities, and where she conducted federally funded research creating CCC System (AMIA, 2021).
“I have a firm belief that in the future, if we become visible, nursing practice will be revolutionized and we will truly be a profession of nurses with our own classification systems, bibliographic systems, and payment systems. We need to think “outside the box”. We need to use the Internet to enhance our practice and provide telenursing care. We need to become wireless and conduct our services using all the newer IT tools. We have a long way to go, but if we utilize information technology effectively, informatics will become an integral part of our profession and the health care industry. I do believe we have the knowledge and perseverance and I am convinced it will come to pass.”
The Big Picture: Nursing Informatics Comes of Age Dr. Virginia K.Saba Reflects on the Evolution of Nursing Informatics. An Interview with FITNE.
