In an earlier Technology Today column, we looked at different economic ages and gains associated with the Agricultural Age, Industrial Age, and Digital Age.1 We are clearly transitioning from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age, but what does it really mean to become digital? In this issue, we are going to drill down and examine the digital transformation underway along with the implications for nursing practice.
Earlier transitions between economic ages involved the transformation from the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age. To appreciate the speed and amount of transformation, consider that around 1880 more than 80% of Americans derived the majority of their income directly or indirectly through agriculture.2 Around 1920, more than 80% of Americans derived the majority of their income directly or indirectly through industry. That 40-year transition was by many accounts a very challenging time.
It is difficult to identify a precise moment...