ABSTRACT
Nowadays, to show surprise at the extent to which the computer has infiltrated every aspect of Western life is to show one's age. The current generation of students entering schools of nursing is only startled when something that plainly should be, is not computerized. Computerization in post-industrial societies seems to be an autocatalytic process. That is, information technology (IT) functionality increases the volume and complexity of information so that a further investment in IT capacity becomes necessary to manage it, and the cycle starts a new iteration.
