The digital revolution is reshaping cardiovascular care and nursing sits right at the centre of that change.

Journal Club Article: Ferguson, C., Chen, Y., Davidson, P. M., & Wynne, R. (2025). The digital revolution in cardiovascular care should not escape scientific scrutiny: a discussion paper. Contemporary Nurse, 1-10.

This discussion paper examines wearable and implantable cardiac monitoring technologies. These include devices from smartwatches and patches to insertable cardiac monitors. They are transforming how we detect and manage conditions like atrial fibrillation (AF). Continuous, real-time monitoring offers earlier detection of arrhythmias. It has the potential to reduce stroke burden. However, the technological advances must be matched with rigorous scientific scrutiny. It also needs thoughtful integration into practice.

For nurses, digital transformation is not just about new devices – it’s about new ways of working. Nurses are often the ones who educate patients, fit and troubleshoot devices, interpret data in context, and act on early warning signs. The paper highlights that nurses are ideally placed to lead adoption and translation of these technologies, but only if they engage critically with issues like:

• Data quality and accuracy (noise, artefact, false alarms)
• Cyber security, privacy and data ownership
• Workflow disruption and data overload
• Equity and access to digital tools

Emerging “smart” technologies – smart watches, rings, vests, mattresses, even smart toilets – can together create a rich “digital phenotype” of a person’s cardiovascular health, blending passive monitoring with active symptom reporting. For people living with AF or heart failure, this opens possibilities for earlier detection of deterioration. It also enables remote monitoring and allows staying at home longer. At the same time, wearables can provoke anxiety. They might create stigma and “big brother” concerns. These issues arise if they’re not co-designed with patients and families.

Looking ahead, the authors propose that vital sign monitoring will become more automated and AI-enabled. As a result, routine “obs rounds” may be replaced by continuous digital surveillance. This shift creates an opportunity. It also creates a responsibility. Nursing work can be redesigned. The time saved can be reinvested in high-value, relational, person-centred care. This approach focuses on meaningful interactions rather than simply more tasks. Nurses will need stronger skills in digital health. They also require data literacy and cross-disciplinary collaboration. These skills are essential to shape new models of telehealth, virtual wards, and connected care.

Key message for nursing: the digital revolution in cardiovascular care is here. If nurses don’t lead the conversation – on evidence, ethics, regulation, co-design and implementation – technology will shape practice for us. With nurse-led innovation and critical appraisal, digital tools can enhance, rather than erode, person-centred cardiovascular care. As ever – nursing needs to be at ‘the table’ of change in healthcare.