Technology and true presence in nursing.

If there is to be a future for nursing in the next millenium, it must be dictated not by technologic advances directly but by the manner in which technology relates with persons in health and illness. Technology enables nurses to care for persons in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. True presence, as articulated in the human becoming theory, affords members of the profession opportunities to be with persons in ways that make a difference to their quality of life. The article illustrates the recognition of the link between technology and true presence through the use of a nurse-person encounter.