The authors included a chapter on caring because technology-laden environments can disrupt or compromise the art of caring, and they wanted to refocus nurses on caring while enhancing the science of nursing with informatics tools.

The authors explain that nurses are taught to care and refine that ability through practice, but certain technologies can be disruptive and cause the art of caring to be lost or compromised. By including a chapter on caring in a nursing informatics textbook, they aim to keep the heart of nursing practice, caring, in view even as informatics tools are used to advance the science of nursing. The placement at the beginning of a section on the future of nursing informatics signals that caring should remain central as nurses integrate technology into their practice.

Key points

The authors believe technology can disrupt caring and cause it to be lost or compromised.
The chapter refocuses nurses on the art of caring while enhancing nursing science with informatics.
It is included because caring is considered the heart of what nurses do.
The section addresses the future of nursing informatics, with caring presented as foundational to that future.

Why did the authors include a chapter on caring in a nursing informatics textbook?