The Influence Technology Has on Nursing

Modern technology has touched all industries, including nursing. Nursing is still, and will forever be, a field where technology has had an enormous influence on the way that nurses do their job. While some of the technological advances have made the nurse's job easier, others have been put into practice as a price saving measure, and still others are used to improve patient safety.

Like those in other industries, nurses are frequently intimidated by new technologies. With the desire to stay within the process they are accustomed with, nurses are often reluctantly pulled into newer technologies. Like most people, once they become familiar with the new technology, they grow to appreciate it. One side effect of the new technological advancements in medical care is the creation in jobs related to the field. Prior to ultrasounds, there wasn't a need to train someone to perform them. Respiratory therapy, nuclear medicine and many other branches of healthcare have created new jobs by the advancement of technology. Nursing Informatics is one such field that is specific to nursing.

Advancements in technology have lead to enhancements in healthcare. Prior to the development of electronic IV monitors and IV pump infusions, anybody who received an IV had it given under the vigilant eye of a nurse. Because manual IVs were prone to stopping or flowing too quickly, a nurse stood by the patient's side each time they received an IV. When you think about how frequent IVs are, it is simple to see how much time is saved with the electronic IV monitor.

All nurses are accustomed with the sphygmomanometer. This is the technical name for a blood pressure cuff. Having an electronic blood pressure cuff that also records the patient's heartbeat is almost certainly one of the utmost time saving tools that technology has brought to nursing.

Technologies like ultrasound and sonograms have given the medical community the capability to look inside of the human body and see unborn babies and cancerous tumors. Despite the fact that a nurse does not perform or read the ultrasounds and sonograms, their effect has touched the nursing community by allowing additional invasive diagnostic procedures to fall by the wayside.

As vital as nursing care is for the patient, it is only one part of the nurse's duty. The nurse is responsible for keeping an accurate record on every patient within her charge. While numerous hospitals continue using pen and paper charting, technology can make the record keeping practice less cumbersome (Kaier, 2010). Patient electronic records can be kept in a computerized file, which permits the practitioner, nurse or other medical professional to bring up the patient's medical history in promptly. Portable computing equipment allows the nurse to update the information on the go, instead of at the end of their shift. Internet access permits medical staff to possess immediate access to databases to look for symptoms and drug