Information technology in nursing: a project examining educational applications of the Internet and World Wide Web

Developments in Information Technology are requiring nurses to not only access complex information but also manipulate it within an information rich environment to benefit patient care. Within such an environment, the role played by the Internet and more specifically, the World Wide Web (WWW or web), will become increasingly important to health care providers. Nurse academics within the School of Nursing, Monash University, have adopted an innovative and integrated approach to Internet technologies as part of information processing and inquiry in nursing. This approach is aimed at enhancing the teaching/learning process by lending additional richness to the learning environment. Initial feedback from this project supports the assumption that information technology has an important, and increasingly prominent, role to play within nursing education and clinical practice. Although very much at an embryonic stage, the project has been well received by students and staff alike. This descriptive paper will attempt to highlight some of the benefits of the project for nurse academics and students, provide an overview of Internet and WWW applications and suggest some practical applications of these technologies in nurse education.