Nursing in a posthuman era: Towards a technology-integrated ecosystem of care

Abstract

The healthcare sector has undergone significant transformation due to the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and biotechnologies, presenting both opportunities and threats to the nursing profession. Posthumanism, as a critical perspective challenging anthropocentrism and emphasizing the increasingly blurred boundaries between humans and nonhumans, provides a novel lens to comprehend these technological advancements. In this commentary paper, I draw on the posthuman discourse to argue that in light of these technological forces, we need to contemplate the core values and fundamental patterns of knowing within the nursing discipline, reconfigure nursing scope, redefine its relations with other agents, and embrace a technology-integrated ecosystem of care.

Keywords

• Artificial intelligence
• Biotechnology
• Ecosystem
• Nursing
• Patterns of knowing
• Posthuman