Decision support systems, and expert systems in particular, may have profound effects on nursing's role, causing the profession to reexamine the meaning of expertise for nursing and the educational strategies which enhance its development. In addition, expert systems provide support for enhanced scope of practice and greater autonomy, and they present intriguing liability challenges for the profession. Utilization of these sophisticated systems will encourage the trend toward increased information management, and will underscore the importance of nurses' interpersonal communication skills and their qualitative, ethical contributions to clinical decision-making.