Nurses satisfied with telehealth in treatment of chronic disease

Delivering telehealth nursing care to patients with chronic diseases allows for patients to stay home, cutting cost for both provider and patients. But how due nurses view such services? In this study, researchers examined perceptions of telehealth nursing service quality (TNSQ) to identify if expectations are met.

“One of the evolving roles of nurses as they take on new responsibilities of providing nursing service in home settings is the use of information technology (IT),” wrote first author Ayisha Bashir, MS, MBBS, with the department of clinical and translational science at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and colleagues. “Although many studies have assessed the cost-effectiveness and patient acceptance of this new method of service delivery, the perspective of nurses as the service provider has not been previously studied.”

The study included survey responses of 13 nurses—all female and most over 35. The survey asked participants to list the positive facilitators of telehealth in improving care quality and potential telehealth barriers to nursing care quality. Results showed positive expectations and perceptions of TNSQ, with the satisfaction of service quality higher than what nurses expected. Nurses pointed out issues with equipment and inconsistency in telehealth equipment were barriers in delivering quality care.

“The responses to the interview questions and data gathered from the survey showed overall satisfaction with TNSQ,” concluded Bashir and colleagues. “In a nutshell, the study highlighted how the telehealth process provides daily monitoring of patient health, leading to the benefits of immediate feedback for patients, family, and caregivers as well as convenience of scheduling.”