Telecommunications for Nurses Providing Successful Distance Education and Telehealth (ed 2), Myrna L. Armstrong and Shari Frueh, Editors, New York, Springer Publishing Co., 2002. 285 pages, hardcover, $44.95.

This highly scientific insight into the future of care has 21 contributors, in addition to the two editors. The future is both scientifically and imaginatively treated to show how the extremely rapid expanse of scientific knowledge and its ultra convergence with technology that is moving in huge leaps will result in a system that few have as fully imagined as this text has portrayed.

All the different providers will have to be educated far better than any generally are today. Although it is unstated the combined degrees such as the MD, PhD, and DNSc, PhDs are very likely to be examples of preparation outcomes. As is evident; the MD PhD has been under way in various countries for a considerable period. The use of technology, such as making very long distance videotape asessments of physical states and prescribing over the miles and state barriers, will produce a telemedicine and telehealth care system that the bulk of practitioners have not anticipated.

It is not hard to imagine that as science becomes and increasingly larger part of education for each new generation that patient behavior will alter greatly. Thus the utilization of diagnoses and recommended treatments from a distance will evoke responses not seriously considered in the past. This is the kind of literature all nurses should be cognizant about to keep apace with the overwhelming change. The longer life span will mean that retirement support will be moved ahead many years and thus every pactitioner, of all type, will have to be in a very constant learning situation which probably will in patterns similar to that of telemedicine.

The inevitable is facing all practitioners of every type. It will be interesting to observe how some may merge into new types as technology replaces human effort.