Computer-assisted education for critical care nurses.

Technology is changing rapidly and health care is just beinnng to see the wave of technological advances. Computer-assisted educational software is available for many topics and in many media. Educators and learners need to explore these media and determine how they can best fit into a total learning experience. Computers should be used to enhance education and training, rather than replace the human instructor. The latest software and hardware are interesting to learners, but technology needs to be weighed along with outcomes of education. Over the next 10 years, many of the materials we use today for critical care education will be replaced with more advanced technologies. Subject matter experts should work with computer experts to design and improve computer-assisted technology. In addition, all educators should assess the return on investment of these newer technologies before embracing them.