Digital nursing practice theory: A scoping review and thematic analysis

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Digital Health
• Health Technology Theory

Background:

• The integration of digital technologies in nursing practice is rapidly evolving.
• A theoretical framework is needed to guide the development and application of these technologies.
• Existing nursing theories require examination for their relevance to the digital age.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and synthesize existing theories relevant to digital nursing practice.
• To propose a new theoretical lens for understanding and advancing the future use of digital technologies by nurses.
• To explore the role of technology in nursing, patient care, and professional development.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley framework.
• Literature searches were performed across seven databases (Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, BNI, Web of Science) and Google Scholar.
• Search terms included variations of nursing, digital technology, and theory, with literature screened up to May 12, 2022.

Main Results:

• The review identified nine articles describing eight distinct nursing theories related to digital technology.
• Key theoretical focuses included technology's societal role, development for nursing support, informatics use, caring expressions, and human-technology relationships.
• Three overarching themes emerged: technology as an agent in patient environments, nurse-technology interactions for patient knowing, and the necessity of technological competence.

Conclusions:

• A novel theoretical lens, The Lens for Digital Nursing (LDN), was proposed using Actor Network Theory (ANT) to map concepts in digital nursing.
• This study offers the first synthesis of nursing theories to provide a theoretical lens for digital nursing practice.
• The LDN can functionally zoom in on different entities within digital nursing, enhancing theoretical understanding and application.