Rapid advances in technology and genomic science, as well as changes in demographics, healthcare policies, and practices have placed pressing demands on nursing to use fresh approaches and interventions to improve health outcomes. The nursing profession is learning to use emerging technologies to translate research findings into cost-effective clinical applications and disseminate the clinical applications directly to patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers.
The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) has just released their draft strategic five year plan emphasizing the need to invest in new technologies. Today, the nursing profession is developing innovative strategies and technology to deliver real-time personalized information to individual patients, families, and communities.
NINR’s goals for the next five years are to:
• Develop new technologies and informatics-based solutions that promote health, prevent disease, manage symptoms, and involve patients in their own healthcare
• Develop and create new technologies including the adaptation and application of comprehensive high-throughput technologies
• Encourage risk taking, innovation, re-invention, and creativity, including high risk/high return concepts
• Expand knowledge and the application of telehealth and telemedicine interventions to improve self management and access to healthcare
• Extend preventive interventions that improve health for underserved community groups and develop new technologies to link underserved populations with available resources
• Investigate factors influencing how technology is adopted and used to generate best practices
• Mobilize technology to form global partnerships with international schools of nursing to exchange information
NINR invites public comments on their draft Strategic Plan until March 19, 2011. To view the draft plan, go to www.ninr.nih.gov/NewsAndInformation/StrategicPlan2011. Comments on the plan can be emailed to NINRstrategicplan@mail.nih.gov. The final revision of the Strategic Plan is due to be released in October 2011.
