The personal approach of Irish nurses is being lost in a mountain of high technology and as a result patients' recovery chances are decreasing, the SIPTU vice-president, Mr Des Geraghty, said yesterday.
At the closing sessions of the union's nursing convention, Mr Geraghty said in recent years there had been an explosion of new diagnostic equipment, drugs and high-tech developments.
However, it was clear from recent international research that "if you want people to recover, personal care is more important."
But nurses were being overloaded with extra duties such as lifting patients, housekeeping tasks and administration and were not able to use their skills.
Mr Geraghty also spoke of the "bureaucratic and hierarchical" management approach in the Irish health services.
He called for a change so that the system would be more focused on patient care.
"The health service is one of the last bastions of hierarchical layering, right the way up through the system. Policy-makers are far removed from patient care."
As a result, he said, there were waiting lists and the emphasis was being placed on the wrong areas.