Emerging Technologies in Oncology Nursing: Integrating Informatics Competencies to Advance Safe, High-Quality, and Compassionate Care.
TL;DR
The rapid evolution of emerging digital technologies in oncology nursing is described and the essential informatics competencies required by oncology nurses to advance safe, high-quality, and compassionate care across the cancer continuum are clarified.
Abstract
Aim
To describe the rapid evolution of emerging digital technologies in oncology nursing and clarify the essential informatics competencies required by oncology nurses to advance safe, high-quality, and compassionate care across the cancer continuum.
Methods
A narrative review of use cases from peer-reviewed literature, national workforce policy documents, and professional nursing frameworks as they relate to emerging technologies and their integration into oncology care.
Results
Real-world implementations of artificial intelligence, telehealth, virtual nursing, remote patient monitoring (RPM), and medical device integration (MDI) demonstrate measurable clinical benefits, including enhanced symptom management, fewer emergency visits, and potential survival advantages. However, significant implementation gaps persist regarding algorithmic accountability, health equity, and a historic lack of direct nursing inclusion during technology design and validation. Nurse-led frameworks such as the Emerging Technology and AI Toolkit, which encompasses the 5 Rights of AI, the Innovation Inventory Heatmap, and Calculated INSIGHT provide practical scaffolding to educate nurses in evaluating and adopting emerging technologies. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS Grounded in caring science, emerging digital tools must function as intelligent partners that augment rather than replace human clinical judgment and the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship. As care models continuously evolve across inpatient and outpatient settings, investment in standardized oncology nursing informatics competencies remains critical. Nurse leaders must actively transition from passive technology recipients to informed advocates and architects of the digital ecosystem, ensuring that automated systems amplify the capacity for presence, equity, and individualized, compassionate cancer care.