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TELENURSING
Telenursing is the use of telecommunications technology to
provide nursing practice at a distance.1
This can be something as simple as faxing medical records to the more
complex delivery of nursing care to patients’ home through the use of
cameras and computer technologies.
The most common use of telenursing is by managed care
organisations that use registered nurses to triage from centralised locations
via communication systems as a means of reducing the use of emergency rooms. An
excellent example would be NHS Direct
in the United Kingdom.
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Telenursing has also been used as a tool in home nursing. It
is especially useful in cases of elderly and chronically ill patients who need
to be nursed at home and are remotely located.2
3
Telenursing can also provide opportunities for patient
education, professional consultations, examination of test results and
assisting physicians in implementation of medical treatment protocols.4
In the United States, although telenursing is being practised
across state lines, it can be fraught with potential liability issues, as
states require nurses to be licensed where they are providing care. Civil and
criminal penalties can thus be brought against health care providers if they
don’t conform to the laws of the state.
Telenursing practitioners should take this into consideration,
in addition to be ensuring safe and ethical practice with the privacy and
confidentiality of patient information.
References
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The National Council of State Boards. August 1999 [WWW] The
National Council of State Boards of Nursing Position Paper on Telenursing: A
Challenge to Regulation.
http://www.ncsbn.org/public/news/res/Telenursing%20Paper.pdf (25TH
September 2003).
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Arnaert, A.; Delesie, L. Telenursing for the elderly. The case
for care via vidoe-telephony. J Telemed Telecare 2001;7(6):311-6
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Wheeler, T. Strategies for delivering tele-home care --
provider profiles. Telemed Today 1998 Aug;6(4):37-40.
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The National Council of State Boards of Nursing. 1996 [WWW]
Telenursing: The Regulatory Implications for Multistate Regulation.
http://www.ncsbn.org/public/resources/nocost_archive_17_3_01.htm (25TH
September 2003).
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NHS Direct Online
Online version of the 24-hour telephone service providing advice and health
information from nurses and run by the National Health Service in the UK.
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/
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Telenursing
A list of online telenursing resources from Allhealthnet.com.
http://www.allhealthnet.com/Nursing/Telenursing/
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