The Regenerative Horizon: Opportunities for Nursing Research and Practice

Abstract

Background: Regenerative technologies aim to restore organ form and function. Technological advances in regenerative treatments have led to patients increasingly seeking these therapies. The readiness of nursing to fully contribute to this emerging healthcare field is uncertain. Purpose: The goal of this discipline-oriented overview is to enhance awareness in the nursing community regarding regenerative science, and to provide suggestions for nursing research contributions and practice implications. Methods: Evolving and applied cutting-edge therapies, such as regenerative immunotherapies with chimeric antigen receptor expressing T lymphocytes, are highlighted in the context of emerging opportunities for nurses in practice and research. Discussion: Next generation nurses will increasingly be at the forefront of new therapies poised to make chronic illnesses curable, thus restoring health and function to diverse groups of individuals. Clinical Relevance: The regenerative care model imposes on the nursing community the imperative to (a) increase research awareness; (a) educate, develop, and deploy a skilled nursing workforce; (c) integrate regenerative technologies into nursing practice; and (d) embrace the regenerative technologies horizon as a future in health care.