Digital Literacy and Technology Integration in Nursing Education
Summary
Digital literacy has become an indispensable competency for nursing students preparing to enter a technology-rich clinical environment. This encompasses the ability to access, interpret and apply digital information, communicate via electronic platforms and employ software tools for patient assessment and documentation. Integration of technology in nursing education ranges from electronic health records and mobile learning applications to simulation laboratories and augmented reality scenarios. Such integration aims to enhance critical thinking, improve clinical decision-making and ensure safe practice. Global efforts have focused on embedding informatics content within curricula, developing pedagogical frameworks for sustained competence and fostering interprofessional collaboration through digital platforms. Practical applications include virtual patient simulations, telehealth training modules and bespoke e-learning packages tailored to diverse learning styles. By cultivating digital fluency alongside traditional clinical skills, nursing programmes seek to equip graduates with the adaptability required to meet evolving healthcare demands and to contribute to quality improvement initiatives in practice settings worldwide.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Digital Literacy and Technology Integration in Nursing Education publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in digital literacy and technology integration in nursing education across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Digital literacy: The ability to find, evaluate, use and communicate information through digital platforms and tools.
eHealth literacy: Proficiency in seeking, understanding and applying digital health information for clinical or self-care purposes.
Nursing informatics: The discipline that integrates nursing science, information science and computer science to manage patient data and support clinical decision-making.
Augmented reality (AR): A technology that overlays digital content onto the physical environment to create an interactive learning experience.
Technological competence: The knowledge, skills and attitudes required to use and adapt to evolving digital tools effectively.
References
- Nursing Students’ Attitudes Toward Technology: Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study. JMIR Medical Education (2024).
- Technological literacy in nursing education: A scoping review. Journal of Professional Nursing (2021).
- Assessing acceptance of augmented reality in nursing education. PLOS ONE (2022).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.