There are great benefits for patients to be gained from the better use of technology in health care, though there are some external issues to resolve about the introduction of these initiatives.

There are also new professional questions raised, for which there are a range of learning and support tools to help practitioners. Some issues, such as connectivity and integration of equipment, can only be addressed in the locality in which they occur.

Technology

Technology, and the new ways of working that exploit it in healthcare, has enormous potential to meet the growing need for expert, efficient and personalised care. The QNI hopes to inspire, encourage and assist community nurses to play their essential part in realising this vision.

Smart New World was published by the QNI in 2012 and updated in 2013. We have since published an additional report  ‘Nursing in the Digital Age – Using Technology to Support Patients at Home’. This report, published in 2018, seeks to determine how far new healthcare information technology has changed in the previous six years and how skills and attitudes within community services have adapted.

Back to Resources