The Nursing Informatician's Role in Mediating Technology Related Health Literacies

The advent of computer based technology and the internet have not changed nurses' responsibility for patient education; but they are rapidly changing what we teach and how we teach. The challenge for nursing informaticians is to create innovative patient education models and applications with the goal of achieving literate, engaged, empowered and informed patients as well as preparing health professionals to maximize the advantages offered by digital media and other new technology based tools. This paper explores the interrelationship of basic literacy, health literacy and technology related literacies that provide the foundation for achieving these goals.