The pace of technological advancement has been rising exponentially across most professional fields and industries for decades. However, the impact of tech in the healthcare sector has been particularly pronounced.
The ability of healthcare tech to save and improve lives is miraculous, empowering medical professionals to deliver patient-centered care that is far more effective and efficient. Much of this tech is used by the world’s nurses as well.
From telemedicine to electronic health records to wearable medical devices, technology in nursing has never been more diverse and extensive. Read on to learn about the many ways that tech has transformed (and is continuing to transform) the face of nursing practice as we know it.
The Digital Transformation of Nursing
In a certain sense, nursing and technology have gone hand in hand since before the days of Florence Nightingale. After all, basic nursing tools like thermometers and stethoscopes were state-of-the-art tech that dramatically improved the quality of healthcare when they were first introduced.
That said, the pace of advancement in healthcare tech has accelerated tremendously during the digital age. Beginning with the first practical use of computer systems in the 1950s and continuing through the present day, the march of technological progress has been nothing short of revolutionary.
Digital nursing technology has been proven to streamline clinical processes, boost communication capabilities, and enhance patient safety. The shift from paper-based record-keeping systems to modern electronic health record (EHR) platforms is just one among many shifts that have transformed the way nurses work.
Electronic Health Records (EHRs): A Centralized Hub for Patient Information
Considering just how easy EHRs are to file, access, edit, and manage, few modern nursing professionals would ever want to go back to old-fashioned paper patient records. EHRs exist entirely in the digital space, allowing for the convenient and effective storage and management of medical history data that includes patient conditions, medications, allergies, and test results among other vital health information.
Beyond their improved accessibility, EHRs are generally more accurate and easier to read than traditional paper records. Not to mention, because they typically encrypt data and employ strong authorization and access controls, EHRs have proven more secure than paper records.
Telemedicine: Expanding Access to Care
An umbrella term encompassing all forms of medical care provided remotely, telemedicine (telehealth) connects patients with medical professionals using telecommunications and online technology. Although it has been around for decades, its popularity has grown exponentially since the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapidly expanding telehealth field has brought quality healthcare to geographically isolated communities that previously lacked it. And because it is so cost-effective and convenient, telemedicine has become a helpful option for all types of patients. The advantages of telehealth in nursing include easy distance consultations and ongoing patient monitoring.
Wearable Devices and Remote Monitoring: Empowering Patients
If around-the-clock health monitoring is your goal, few technological innovations have brought more to the table than wearable devices. Fitness trackers, like the Fitbit and Apple Watch, monitor the daily biometrics of countless people.
In the world of healthcare, wearable devices and the remote monitoring they provide are transforming patient care — helping nurses track vital signs, monitor chronic conditions, and detect early warning signs of health problems. From heart and blood pressure monitors to glucose meters, wearable devices have improved patient outcomes and reduced hospital readmissions for all kinds of conditions.
Benefits of Technology in Nursing
While direct patient results may be the most compelling argument for embracing new technology in nursing, its operational efficiency improvements and professional development applications are also quite impressive.
Enhanced Patient Safety and Outcomes
The expanded healthcare access and real-time monitoring capabilities of advanced nursing technology are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ensuring patient safety and improving patient outcomes. Whether it’s automatic EHR documentation or customized patient medication alerts, nursing tech helps prevent the errors that lead to adverse events.
Improved Efficiency and Productivity
The goal of much new technology in nursing is to make life easier for the nurse. By entering health records electronically and allowing wearable devices to take patient vitals, for example, nurses save precious moments that add up by the end of the day. Because they are working more efficiently, the modern nurse can get more done and prioritize more important tasks. Additionally, technology streamlines administrative tasks, automates routine processes, and optimizes clinical workflows, in turn allowing nurses to dedicate more time to direct patient care and critical thinking.
Increased Access to Information and Resources
Thanks to internet-connected technology, nurses have vast amounts of medical information at their fingertips at all times. From current clinical guidelines to evidence-based nursing practices, tech can both support informed workplace decision-making and promote ongoing professional development. Plus, thanks to the large volume of medical professional mobile apps on the market, nurses literally hold the ability to communicate with team members and access patient records in the palms of their hands.
Empowerment and Professional Growth
Aside from keeping nurses better informed, modern technology can give them the tools that they need to work smarter and further their careers. The educational and professional resources available to nurses online are virtually limitless. What’s more, nurses can use tech to manage their own work schedules and connect with peers and mentors. All of this can lead directly to increased job satisfaction and professional advancement.
Facilitated Communication and Collaboration
In addition to driving professional growth, productive and relevant communication and collaboration among nurses along with the greater medical community can pay dividends in countless ways. Perhaps most importantly, open communication links among healthcare team members can do wonders to facilitate care coordination and improve patient outcomes. Common forms of digital communication in the healthcare field range from secure messaging platforms to real-time video conferencing. Of course, shared EHRs also promote seamless collaboration and effective teamwork.
Improving Efficiency and Streamlining Workflows
The ongoing connectivity and time-saving measures of nursing technology boost operational efficiency considerably. So do the numerous software platforms that focus exclusively on streamlining nursing workflows, often with the help of digital automation. By helping nurses leave their shifts on time, these various efficiency benefits go a long way toward combatting the all-too-common problem of nurse burnout.
Medication Administration and Management
Along with to making the workday more efficient for nurses, an automated workflow enhances patient safety in a range of ways. For instance, a quality electronic medication management system (EMMS) can significantly reduce medication errors by tracking each patient’s prescription throughout all administration, dispensing, review, distribution, and disposal processes. EMMS systems become even more effective when they require healthcare workers to scan barcodes on medication containers at various stages of these processes. From direct messages that remind patients to take their pills to implanted smart pumps that deliver medication automatically, technology is helping patients take their medication in remarkable ways.
Automated Documentation and Reporting
Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), automated healthcare documentation and reporting tools are dramatically decreasing the administrative burden on nurses, which gives them more time to interact with patients directly. AI-driven documentation and reporting is also generally more accurate and prevents common errors by standardizing all documentation. A 2024 peer-reviewed study titled “Embracing Artificial Intelligence: Revolutionizing Nursing Documentation for a Better Future” praised AI-based healthcare documentation and reporting for its ability to “enhance efficiency, accuracy, and clinical decision-making.”
Communication and Collaboration Tools
The co-author of Communication, Collaboration, and You, Cynthia Saver, MS, RN, calls collaboration the key to improved patient outcomes. “The bottom line is that it saves lives,” she writes. “Collaboration is just as much an essential skill for nurses as is performing a physical assessment.” The various digital tools available to nurses today can help them overcome any number of communication challenges when dealing with team members as well as patients and other stakeholders in the healthcare arena.
Technology Enhancing Patient Care and Safety
Though we have discussed how nursing technology has made today’s patients safer and enhanced overall care, we have barely scratched the surface. Here are just a few among many new and exciting ways that tech is transforming direct nursing care for the better:
Smart Beds and Patient Monitoring Systems
Beyond the ability of wearable tech to monitor the biometrics of people no matter where they roam, smart beds are having a profound impact on patient monitoring in the hospital setting. These beds can not only track vital signs and detect falls, but they can also encourage patient movement and aid in the restoration of normal functionality. For example, Hospitals Magazine praises the use of monitoring systems that tell nurses each time a patient moves and if that patient leaves the bed with the assistance of supportive side rails.
AI-Powered Diagnostics and Treatment Planning
The above discussion of automated healthcare documentation and reporting only tells part of the story when it comes to the applications of AI in nursing. In fact, AI is playing a direct role in the diagnosis and treatment of health problems, and this role is expected to expand dramatically in the coming months and years. Diagnostic AI can analyze medical images, interpret lab results, and identify a whole host of potential patient risks. Using this diagnostic information, AI can then help doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals create comprehensive treatment plans and make better-informed decisions about patient care.
Virtual Reality and Simulation Training
Just as an aspiring pilot can benefit immensely from spending time in a flight simulator, nurses and nursing students alike can learn new skills safely and effectively through virtual reality (VR) and simulation training. When incorporated into a comprehensive nursing education program, VR simulations can help nurses develop critical skills and prepare for real-world scenarios in a carefully controlled environment.
Experts have found VR to be an invaluable training tool for nurses. A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research determined that “VR can effectively improve knowledge in nursing education, but it was not more effective than other education methods in areas of skills, satisfaction, confidence, and performance time.”
Embracing the Future of Nursing With Technology (With Consideration)
There’s no doubt that technology is transforming the nursing profession and modern healthcare landscape. While being mindful of potential biases and limitations of technology, nurses should embrace ongoing technological advancements — leveraging them to improve patient care, enhance their own professional development, and make healthcare more efficient and effective for everyone.
Explore Nursing Technology With the Nevada State University RN to BSN Program
At Nevada State University, our RN to BSN online program stresses technological literacy alongside culturally relevant, evidence-based nursing practices. Request additional information or apply for the RN to BSN program to start furthering your education today.