Technology and the issues facing nursing assessment

This article describes an investigation into the use of technology and the issues nurses face undertaking nursing assessment. It reports qualitative, descriptive research involving interviews with ten ward nurses from three hospitals in New Zealand. Thematic analysis of the data revealed three key issues: the impact of technology, the influence of early warning systems and nurse autonomy. Results show how clinical decision making around nursing assessment is influenced by technology and the Early Warning Score. These clinical decisions may not always be informed by critical thinking in complex healthcare environments. The article concludes that nurse autonomy, while supported and endorsed in theory, is frequently in conflict with hospital risk-management policies and the use of prescriptive algorithms.