How does innovative technology impact nursing in infectious diseases and infection control? A scoping review.

AIM

Considering the increasing number of emerging infectious diseases, innovative approaches are strongly in demand. Additionally, research in this field has expanded exponentially. Thus, faced with this diverse information, we aim to clarify key concepts and knowledge gaps of technology in nursing and the field of infectious diseases.

DESIGN

This scoping review followed the methodology of scoping review guidance from Arksey and O'Malley.

METHODS

Six databases were searched systematically (PubMed, Web of Science, IEEE Explore, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library and Summon). After the removal of duplicates, 532 citations were retrieved and 77 were included in the analysis.

RESULTS

We identified five major trends in technology for nursing and infectious diseases: artificial intelligence, the Internet of things, information and communications technology, simulation technology and e-learning. Our findings indicate that the most promising trend is the IoT because of the many positive effects validated in most of the reviewed studies.