The Future Is Digital: How Technology Is Transforming Nursing Practice

Healthcare is changing faster than ever, and nurses are at the center of this digital revolution. From smart watches that track vital signs to AI tools that support clinical decision-making, technology is reshaping how nurses deliver safe, efficient, and patient-centered care. Understanding these tools isn’t just helpful—it’s essential for modern nursing practice.

Below is a look at the major digital health innovations influencing nursing today, and how they’re enhancing care across settings.

Mobile Health (mHealth) Apps: Support at Your Fingertips

Definition: ‘mobile computing, medical sensor and communications technologies for healthcare’ (Istepanian, 2022; Istepanian et al., 2004).

Mobile health apps have become everyday tools for nurses and patients alike. Apps for medication reminders, chronic disease management, mental health, and patient education allow nurses to extend care beyond the hospital walls. Studies show that mHealth tools improve medication adherence and patient engagement, especially in chronic conditions (Ventola, 2014).

For nurses, clinical reference apps and drug calculators enhance accuracy, speed, and confidence at the bedside.

Wearable Devices: Real-Time Monitoring for Better Outcomes

Wearable technology, such as continuous glucose monitors, smartwatches, and biosensor patches, provides real-time physiological data that supports early intervention. This technology can help identify deterioration earlier, reduce rehospitalizations, and support population health initiatives (World Health Organization, 2021).

For nurses, wearables offer more complete patient data, reduce manual monitoring, and help tailor patient education on lifestyle and behavior change. 

Telehealth: Expanding Access and Increasing Efficiency

Definition: 

1. Telemedicine - “Telemedicine can be defined as using telecommunications technologies to support the delivery of all kinds of medical, diagnostic and treatment-related services usually by doctors. For example, this includes conducting diagnostic tests, closely monitoring a patient's progress after treatment or therapy and facilitating access to specialists that are not located in the same place as the patient (Federal Communication Commission [FCC], n.d., para 4).”

2. Telehealth - “Telehealth is similar to telemedicine but includes a wider variety of remote healthcare services beyond the doctor-patient relationship. It often involves services provided by nurses, pharmacists or social workers, for example, who help with patient health education, social support and medication adherence, and troubleshooting health issues for patients and their caregivers (FCC, n.d., para 5).”

3. Telecare - “Telecare generally refers to technology that allows consumers to stay safe and independent in their own homes.  For example, telecare may include consumer-oriented health and fitness apps, sensors and tools that connect consumers with family members or other caregivers, exercise tracking tools, digital medication reminder systems or early warning and detection technologies (FCC, n.d., para 6).”

Telehealth became essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains a powerful tool for improving access to care. Research shows that telehealth enhances chronic disease management, reduces unnecessary ED visits, and improves patient satisfaction (American Nurses Association, 2021). Nurses play a key role in virtual triage, remote patient monitoring, chronic care management, and tele-education.

Telehealth has proven especially valuable for rural communities, home-based care, and behavioral health are areas where nurses have a profound impact (Butzner & Cuffee, 2021).

Electronic Health Records (EHRs): Data That Drives Better Care

EHR systems streamline communication, reduce documentation errors, and make essential health information available across providers. When properly optimized, EHRs improve clinical decision-making and patient safety (Center for Medicaid and Medicare [CMS], 2024).

Nurses benefit from faster charting, integrated clinical alerts, and interoperability that reduces duplication and enhances care coordination.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Smarter Systems for Safer Care

Definition: AI - Through the use of science and engineering, machines can be programmed with algorithms or a set of rules in which the machine will process the information, imitating the cognitive function of a human (Bajwa et al., 2021). 

Artificial intelligence is transforming everything from predictive analytics to workflow automation. AI-driven tools can forecast patient deterioration, support early diagnosis, reduce documentation burden through voice recognition, and assist with staffing optimization (Topol, 2019).

Bajwa et al. (2021) utilize a figure to show the flow of AI development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance. From the beginning, the correct stakeholders must be involved to provide the expertise needed for development, evaluation, and continued quality and safety monitoring to ensure an effective and reliable AI system.

AI will help fill in the gap with the shortage of healthcare providers predicted by the World Health Organization (WHO). They note that by 2030, there will be a lack of approximately 18 million healthcare professionals, including 5 million fewer doctors, thus unable to meet the healthcare needs of the global population (WHO, 2016). 

While AI will never replace nurses, it empowers them with better insights, allowing more time for compassionate, human-centered care.

Digital Therapeutics: Evidence-Based Tools for Behavior Change

Definition: Digital Therapeutics is under the category of digital health and digital medicine. It uses “evidence‐based, clinically evaluated software to treat, manage, and prevent a broad spectrum of diseases and disorders” (Digital Therapeutics Alliance, 2023, para 1).

Digital therapeutics (DTx) deliver clinically validated interventions for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, insomnia, and mental health disorders. Digital technology can store and/or access patient health information to help customize the care to the patient's needs. These tools complement traditional care and help nurses reinforce self-management behaviors with patients (Digital Therapeutics Alliance, 2023; Phan et al., 2023).

(Phan et al., 2023)

With personalized treatment plans and integrated health data, digital therapeutics strengthen the nurse’s role in education, support, and ongoing monitoring.

What This Means for Nurses

Digital health is not about replacing clinical skill but about enhancing it. Nurses who embrace technology become more efficient, better informed, and better positioned to advocate for their patients.

Whether you’re at the bedside, in informatics, in community health, or on a leadership track, developing digital literacy ensures you remain agile, confident, and prepared for the future of healthcare.

References

American Nurses Association. (2021). Telehealth and nursing practice: A policy statement. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy

Digital Therapeutics Alliance. (2022). Digital therapeutics: Clinical evidence and best practices. 

Bajwa, J., Munir, U., Nori, A., & Williams, B. (2021). Artificial intelligence in healthcare: transforming the practice of medicine. Future healthcare journal, 8(2), e188–e194. https://doi.org/10.7861/fhj.2021-0095

Butzner, M., & Cuffee, Y. (2021). Telehealth Interventions and outcomes across rural communities in the United States: Narrative review. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(8), e29575. https://doi.org/10.2196/29575

Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services. (2024). Electronic health records. CMS. https://www.cms.gov/priorities/key-initiatives/e-health/records

Federal Communication Commission. (n.d.). Telehealth, telemedicine, and telecare: What's what? FCC. https://www.fcc.gov/general/telehealth-telemedicine-and-telecare-whats-what

Istepanian, R. S. H., Jovanov, E., & Zhang, Y. T. (2004). “Guest Editorial Introduction to the Special Section on M-Health: Beyond Seamless Mobility and Global Wireless Health-Care Connectivity," in IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, 8(4), 405-414. doi: 10.1109/TITB.2004.840019

Istepanian R. S. H. (2022). Mobile Health (m-Health) in Retrospect: The Known Unknowns. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(7), 3747. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073747

Phan, P., Mitragotri, S., & Zhao, Z. (2023). Digital therapeutics in the clinic. Bioengineering & translational medicine, 8(4), e10536. https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10536

 Topol, E. (2019). Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again. Basic Books.

Ventola C. L. (2014). Mobile devices and apps for health care professionals: uses and benefits. P & T: A peer-reviewed journal for formulary management, 39(5), 356–364.

World Health Organization. (2016). Working for health and growth: Investing in the health workforce. WHO. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/250047/1/9789241511308-eng.pdf [Accessed 31 January 2020]. [Google Scholar]

World Health Organization. (2021). Global strategy on digital health 2020–2025. WHO. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240020924