| Learning Objective #1: Understand evolving nursing practice using Internet technology | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Understand changing nurse-patient relationships when patients become consumers of care |
Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe experiences of oncology nurses when their patients use the Internet for cancer care, and when nurses use of the Internet for clinical practice through phenomenological interpretation of their narrative stories.
Design and Methods : The study design used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, whereby nurses were asked to describe their practice involving Internet use. The nurses described practical insights into their evolving nursing practice.
Population, Sample, Setting: The researchers recruited nurses from a local chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society. Twenty oncology nurse informants were interviewed.
Concepts or Variables: Oncology nurses’ experiences with patients using the Internet for cancer care, and oncology nurses’ experiences using the Internet for clinical practice.
Findings: Nurses describe varying degrees of Internet integration into their practice depending on Internet access and computer competency. Nurses use the Internet for information access, consulting other nurses, continuing education and communicating with patients via emails. Nurses use traditional nursing skills and develop new skills in data mining, consulting patients with information overload and understanding when the Internet is appropriate for communication. Nurse- patient relationships are changing, as the patients become more focused consumers.
Conclusions : This study provides information on how oncology nurses are beginning to incorporate the Internet into their practice. They perceive changing provider/patients relationships when patients use the Internet for their cancer care. Patients are more informed but need assistance in wading through information overload. The findings suggest new dimensions in nursing practice upon which future interventions can be developed and tested.
Implications: Use of the Internet extends the boundaries of nursing practice creating a new vision of technology based nursing practice patterns for cancer care. Insight is gained into what works best, what is useful, how nurses can integrate Internet use in to nursing practice.
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