Technology to inform actions towards social justice in public health nursing curriculum

Background: Technology, information systems, and the applications for nursing informatics play a role in public health nursing to enhance practice and address issues of social justice. Data is the driving force for knowledge generation, not just as a repository of information. This presentation addresses how technology assists the public health nurse in their practice of protecting the publics' health. The challenge is how to implement this technology into education so that it is reflective of social justice. Some of the issues related to integration are economic forces, software issues and technical competencies of the professional.

Description: Practicing public health nurses were asked to write their own stories of how they integrated technology into their practice. Vignettes from nurses in the field are used as exemplars of how technology is applied to public health nursing in home care, visiting nurse associations, research initiatives and schools. This strategy helped to identify what public health nurses were able to do as well as challenges experienced. The analysis for themes helps to provide curricular guidance.

Lessons Learned: Themes from the vignettes demonstrate how technology can inform and transform practice essential for protecting the public's health and in movement towards social justice. These themes include: provision of care, information access, identification of best evidence, application of educational initiatives to improve public health practice, enhancement of communication and research support.

Recommendations: The analysis of these themes found in the public health nurses vignettes helps to provide guidance of future curriculum.