The evolving relationship of technology and nursing practice: negotiating the provision of care in a high tech environment

Abstract

Nurses proudly espouse that they provide 'care' in highly technological environments that focus on 'cure'. How care is achieved in such environments continues to be debated: There is evidence that care is dominated by the management of technology. The literature identifies that the nature of care provision by nurses is largely dependant on nurses' experience with complex technologies. More specifically, nurses familiar with the technology integral to the care environment are more likely to 'engage' with the patient in their care. There is evidence that nurses do provide patient-centred care in a technologically dominant world. The nature of such care is invariably dependant on the specific context of the user and the technology. This means nurses require highly developed capabilities to 'situate' themselves within these specific contexts to focus on the particular needs of the patient. Experienced nurses are able to articulate and demonstrate opportunities whereby they situate themselves with patients to learn about them and their needs. It is important that this knowledge and practice pertinent to this domain is articulated to assist in the development of capabilities for nurses to 'care' for patients' direct or indirect expressed needs in a highly technological environment.