Page 175 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

142 n EMERGENCY NURSiNG

the internet and the World Wide Web, pro- of Nursing’s network. More up-to-date exam-
vide a means of communicating as well as ples, with limited research, include the use
E facilitating collaborative research, promot- of social media (Twitter, Facebook, and other
ing education regardless of geographic limi- similar Web 2.0 examples) providing a more
tations, allowing access and acquisition of “immediate” digital connection for nurses
needed resources, and providing a medium and patients.
for social engagement. Electronic networks As information technology increases in
continue to impact areas integral to nurs- use and health care requires increased effi-
ing, such as lifetime electronic health record, ciency, nurses will rely more and more on
nursing research, increased interdisciplin- information technology as one tool for pro-
ary collaborative research, online education viding the best possible patient care. Local
for patients and nurses, nursing knowledge electronic networks, such as clinical infor-
acquisition and information exchange, and mation systems, will include other larger
patient care. networks so nurses will have the best infor-
Although the essence of nursing has been mation resources to assist nursing care.
a network, that is, the nurse–patient relation- Research concerning the effects of electronic
ship, there is limited nursing research on networking (using Web 2.0 tools) on nurses
electronic networks. Early work by Brennan, and other health care professionals as well
Moore, and Smyth (1991) and Ripich, Moore, as on patients and their families continues
and Brennan (1992) investigated the use of to be needed. Electronic networking should
electronic net works to facilitate nursing sup- be examined as an independent variable
port of home care clients and their caregiv- through the inclusion of electronic networks
ers. They concluded that a computer network in all stages of the research process. This
is an excellent tool to facilitate support and research will promote the advancement of
information exchange among caregivers and health and patient care by providing the sci-
between nurses and caregivers for patients entific foundation for the appropriate appli-
with AiDS and Alzheimer’s disease. This cation of digital networking technologies.
type of support mechanism has grown to
other areas of health care requiring nursing W. Scott Erdley
intervention such as patients’ seeking health Susan M. Sparks
information (Dickerson et al., 2004).
There are anecdotal reports and case
studies to support nurses’ use of electronic
networks. Sparks (1993) has been instrumen- EMErgEncy nursing
tal in her advocacy and promotion of elec-
tronic networks and resource availability
for nurses (e.g., the Educational Technology As a specialty within the nursing profes-
Network, which promoted the exchange of sion, emergency nursing encompasses care
information and ideas for nurses, nurse edu- of individuals across the life span, seek-
cators, and nursing students and was the ing help for perceived or actual physical or
first international electronic network man- emotional alterations of health that require
aged by a nurse). Other early work included emergent or nonemergent interventions
Barnsteiner’s (1993) and Graves’s (1993) work (Emergency Nurses Association [ENA],
with nursing resource availability (Online n.d.-e). Emergency nurses have a special-
Journal of Nursing Knowledge Synthesis ized field of practice and unique knowledge
and the Virginia Henderson STTi Electronic and skills in emergency care that interface
Library, respectively) and DuBois and with patients during critical moments. This
Rizzolo’s (1994) work in the American Journal unique set of knowledge and skills ensures