Championing eHealth in Clinical Care

Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2020 Jun 1;24(3):4-9. doi: 10.1188/20.CJON.S1.4-9.

Abstract

Since 1959, the rate of technological advancements, which has been buoyed by the evolution of microprocessors that stimulate innovation, has grown exponentially, doubling every 12 to 18 months (Roser & Ritchie, 2020). In 2020, it is impossible to walk down the street without seeing people checking their smartphones. However, it was only four decades ago that the personal computer was first introduced into the marketplace. It has been a little more than a decade since the first smartphone-the iPhone by Apple-was released in 2007, followed by the release of the iPad in 2010 (Zimmermann, 2017). As of 2019, an estimated 269 million people in the United States use smartphones (Holst, 2019). Increased technological advancements, as well as the widespread availability of these technologies and their application to Americans' daily lives, have become the norm. In the clinical nursing care of patients with cancer, the use of technology is also gaining momentum. This supplement to the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing explores how technology in health care can extend and enhance clinical oncology nursing care.

Keywords: clinical care; eHealth; nursing care; technology; telehealth; teleoncology.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Clinical Nursing Research
  • Delivery of Health Care / organization & administration*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inventions*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Oncology Nursing / organization & administration*
  • Smartphone*
  • Telemedicine / organization & administration*
  • United States