Use with care: possibilities and constraints offered by computers in nursing clinical education

Funding constraints, demands for improved efficiency, low staff to student ratios and improved computer software (D. Wright, The use of multimedia computers and software in nurse education, Health Inf. 1 (3) (1995) 101-107.) all combine to produce a situation where a dramatic increase in the use of CBE for tertiary nurse education appears inevitable. In particular there is a very strong movement towards the development of nurse education materials able to be delivered via the World Wide Web (WWW). Given the speed and the extent of these developments it is essential that CBE developments are subject to adequate review and critique. In particular it is important that the pedagogical concepts under pinning the CBE are congruent with the technological innovation being implemented. This paper provides such a review and critique through the discussion of a project concerned with the integration of a computerised hospital nursing care planning database into the undergraduate nursing curriculum. The evaluation of the project not only raises many issues and concerns relevant to CBE in general, but also provides examples of the ways in which CBE can be used to link theory to practice. It also highlights the need for congruency between pedagogy, technology and student learning. Implications arising from the project are discussed at length, including the possibility for clinicians and academics to work collaboratively on database development.