Nursing and Informatics for the 21st Century – Embracing a Digital World, 3rd Edition, Book 1

Abstract

In Nursing in an Integrated Digital World that Supports People, Systems, and the Planet, the leading-edge innovators in digital health applications, global thought leaders, and multinational, cooperative research initiatives are woven together against the backdrop of health equity and policy-setting bodies, such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization. As the authors prepared this book, the world is struggling with the core issues of access to care, access to needed medical equipment and supplies, and access to vaccines. This access theme is reflected throughout the policy and world health chapters with an emphasis on how this COVID-19 pandemic is exposing the fissures, divides, unfairness, and unpreparedness that are in play across our globe. Sustainability and global health policy are linked to the new digital technologies in the chapters that illustrate healthcare delivery modalities that nurse innovators are developing, leading, and using to deliver care to hard-to-reach populations for better population health. A trio of chapters focus on the underlying need for standards to underlie nursing care in order to capture the data needed to enable new science and knowledge discoveries. The authors give particular attention to the cautions, potential for harm, and biases that the artificial intelligence technologies of algorithms and machine learning pose in healthcare. Additionally, they have tapped legal experts to review the legal statues, government regulations, and civil rights law in place for patients' rights, privacy, and confidentiality, and consents for the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. The book closes with a chapter written by the editors that envisions the near future-the impact that the new digital technologies will have on how care is delivered, expanding care settings into community and home, virtual monitoring, and patient generated data, as well as the numerous ways that nurses' roles and technology skill sets must increase to support the global goals of equal access to healthcare. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Connie White Delaney, Charlotte A. Weaver, Joyce Sensmeier, Lisiane Pruinelli & Patrick Weber. All rights reserved.