THE IMPACT OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL CARE ENVIRONMENT ON THE NURSING ROLE

Proliferation of acute health care technology creates problems and ben efits for nurses and patients. In this paper the impact of technology on the nursing work role is reviewed through the international literat ure. The thrust of the nursing literature has, not surprisingly, matur ed over time as the use of technology has become well established in t he acute care environment, and three themes can be identified. The imp lications for acute care nurse specialists, including their educationa l needs, are set in context of the Australian health care system, with particular reference to the cardiac care environments.