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Abstract

Background: The rapid growth in the use of mobile technology in Australia has outpaced its governance,especially in healthcare settings. Whilst some Australian professional bodies and organisations have developedstandards and guidelines to direct appropriate use of social media and mobile technology, clear governancearrangements regarding when, where and how to use mobile technology at point of care in nursing are currentlylacking.Discussion: This paper analyses how the use of mobile technology by nurses at point of care is governed.It highlights the existence of a mobile technology paradox: an identified inability of nurses to access mobiletechnology in a context where it is increasingly recognised that its use in situ can enhance nursing practicewhile contributing to mobile learning and continuing professional development. While the recent release of theRegistered Nurse Standards for Practice and accompanying Standard for Continuing Professional Developmentprovides some direction regarding professional standards to support the use of mobile technology for mobilelearning, we argue a more inclusive approach is required if emerging technologies are to be fully embraced.We describe how an implementation framework, underpinned by more detailed standards, guidelines and codes,could enable the nursing profession to be leaders in embedding mobile technology in healthcare environmentsnationally and globally.Conclusion: The prevalence of mobile technology in Australia has outpaced its governance in healthcareenvironments. Its limited availability at point of care is hindering nursing practice, mobile learning and continuingprofessional development. We discuss the emergence of mobile technology and impediments for its use by nursesin situ. We analyse the professional codes governing nursing, outlining potential reforms to enable implementationof mobile technology at point of care by nurses.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Mather, CA and Gale, F and Cummings, EA
Keywords:	Australia, Continuing professional development, Digital professionalism, Governance, Mobile technology, Nursing practice, Standards, Workplace
Journal or Publication Title:	BMC Nursing
Publisher:	BioMed Central Ltd.
ISSN:	1472-6955
DOI / ID Number:	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-017-0212-8
Copyright Information:	Copyright 2017 The AuthorsLicensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Related URLs:	Google Scholar: Mather, CA UTAS Profile: Mather, CA Google Scholar: Gale, F UTAS Profile: Gale, F Google Scholar: Cummings, EA UTAS Profile: Cummings, EA
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