Theory-Based Nursing Practice in the World of Anthropomorphic Intelligent Machines

How will human nurses practice nursing with advancing technologies particularly involving anthropomorphic intelligent machines? Nursing as an expression of caring in nursing is oftentimes appreciated as acts of endearment or TLC (Tender loving care) by nurses towards persons who are in situations craving for human-to-human contact. Such situations often define nursing as demanding for nurses’ emotion. However, if feelings or emotions is the criterion that makes the ‘caring’ live meaningfully in nursing situations, in the future, how will caring be expressed when nursing engagements in practice will be primarily with anthropomorphic intelligent machines? Contemporary understandings of ‘humanness’ may be obsolete and human-to-human contact as we know it today may consequently remain imaginary. The realities of nursing care perpetuate increasing dependence on technology, and interactions between persons and intelligent machines will need to be redefined. The theory of Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing provides dynamic nursing process events in which technological knowing, mutual designing and participative engaging encompass theory-based nursing thereby furthering quality nursing care outcomes as the foundational rationale for engagements in theory-based nursing practice with anthropomorphic intelligent machines.