Introduction
Telenursing involves the use of information technology and telecommunication to provide medical services to patients. It is commonly used in cases where there is a great distance between the medical facility and the patients. This intervention is suitable among patients with chronic conditions who need regular assessment by a nurse but finds it difficult because of the distance between the doctor and the patient (Taylor et al, 2015). Telenursing involves the transfer and exchange of medical data such as glucose level, the urine composition and the blood pressure between the patient and the medical assistant to assess and diagnose a patient. Telenursing is also meant for the aging population who may find it difficult to reach a nurse at the required time. The application of telenursing is envisaged to be a great step in the medical industry; however, there are a lot of obstacles to implementing the same.
Although telenursing is meant to bridge the gap between the nurse and a patient, the roles of the nurse are still expected to remain the same. The nurses are still expected to evaluate, intervene, plan and assess the outcome of a nursing care. The only difference is that all these services are expected to be done by use of technology. The nurses are expected to undertake these services by the use of internet, phones, computers, telemonitoring equipment as well as digital access tools. Telenursing is not the first step in employing technology in the medical sector; telehealth is one endeavour which has been in use for a very long time. Despite of the importance and the efficiency of using telenursing services, the system has not well appreciated the process. The hindrance in the use of this technology is commonly contributed by the health practitioners. The main key to adopting this technology is the acceptance of the frontline staff. There is also the role of the patients and their relatives. Patients also have to accept that the telenursing devices be installed in their premises. This will enable the nurses to monitor and assess to condition of a patient for proper diagnosis and assessment. The aim of this paper is to assess the various advantages and disadvantages in the use of telenursing. In so doing, we can make a recommendation on proper application of the same.
Advantages of Telenursing
Telenursing is a tool which can be used by nurses for proper management of time. The classical duty of a nurse is to assess their patients and make recommendations according to the observations. All patients should to given equal priority to these services. However, sometimes a nurse can have a big workload making them to be unable to service their patients equally. By using telenursing the nurse can observe, interview, and assess their patients electronically without having to visit them literally (Taylor et al, 2015). The nursing therefore can opt for flexible hour when the work load has reduced to visit a specific patient. They are also able to assess the state of emergency of an individual patient and make a decision on who to service first.
Telenursing is also quite convenient. In traditional nursing system, nurses have to wait for patients to travel to the medical facility for assessment. Sometimes it is the nurse who has to make home visits for patients. This involves traveling and traffic jams. In cases where nurses have to do home visits for assessment, they take more time in the road than in the homes of the patients (Sevean et al, 2008). With telenursing, the traveling cost is cut down to almost nil. Using telenursing, the nurses are also able to schedule specific visits for special purposes. By so doing, the nurses will always know exactly where their patients are. There also is no time wastage in identifying the locations of the patients. It is therefore encouraging to use telenursing as less time will be used and more informed decision will easily be made. Telenursing is therefore cost effective because the resources are allocated in the best sensible manner.
Telenursing also provides an opportunity for education among the patient. By using this method, patients are made aware of their conditions into details and are able to sense any danger before it happens. Telenursing involves the use of technology to assess and diagnose a patient from a distance (Yesenofski et al, 2015). When the telenursing devices are installed within the premises of a patient, they are taught on how to operate and all the parameters involved. With proper knowledge of telenursing equipment and how they work, the patients are able to understand their conditions better. They can therefore take part in making decision on their treatment method. Involving a patient in the treatment method is one fundamental step into the treatment process.
Taking care of people who are dealing with chronic conditions such as cancer and diabetes involves psychological consolation as well as physical treatment. Using telenursing the patients feel reassured because they know that help is just a phone-call away. By feeling reassured the patients will enthusiastically undertake self-care without any fear (Taylor et al, 2015). For example, a person recovering from surgery requires undertaking an intensive sell-care to enable the wound to heal faster. Without an assurance that help may come any time there is an emergency, the patient will undergo some level of psychological stress which will hinder their recovery process. With an assurance of an immediate help in case of an emergency, the patient will feel reassured hence improving the healing process.
Disadvantages of Telenursing
Telenursing require the use of equipment both in the houses of the patients and the medical facilities where the nurses operate. These equipment include; computer information systems, telephones, cameras, teleradiology, video and audio conferencing, telerobotics, internet, facsimile machines among others. These facilities are very costly. Even though there is a cost sharing system between the patients and health providers, some patients are not able to foot their part of the bargain. Some medical facilities also cannot afford to provide these facilities. Another problem is with the developing countries that do not have the financial strength to fund for telenursing equipment.
Telenursing involves the use sophisticated equipment. This apparatus require some technical-know-how which the patients may not have. There is no need to buy and install these equipment when even the patients have problems in using them. Therefore there is a need to train the patients on how to use the equipment (Sevean et al, 2008). This will need an extra cost to deliver the service. Some patients also have reached in an age that cannot be taught. Some of the patients are too old and one cannot expect them to learn how to use these facilities. This therefore hinders telenursing.
Training system of most of the nurses does not involve the use of telenursing equipment. The nurses have a knowledge base of undertaking nursing services only. It is therefore possible to find that nurses do not know how to use the equipment. This will also hinder the process of telenursing. There will be additional time and cost that will be required to train the nurses. Some nurses can also be conservative hence the problem of training and use of telenursing equipment. Studies have reported totally different sorts of moral dilemmas that nurses encounter in their daily routine (Yesenofski et al, 2015). Likewise, increasing moral dilemmas are shown to make stress reactions among tending personnel. Ethical distress will be outlined as negative stress symptoms that occur because of a state of affairs. In many cases the governments assume that the nurses have got the knowledge to operate the operating the telenursing equipment, but sometimes this is not the truth.
Telenursing has been fraught with both legal and ethical issues. In many countries, nurses are not allowed to practice telenursing without legal licensing. The licencing is used to help in ensuring that nurses practicing telenursing are within their jurisdiction and are technically skilled to undertake the same (Yesenofski et al, 2015). The privacy issues have also come up. The confidentiality of the patients health records are at jeopardy in cases where the information is transferred via internet. With lack of privacy and confidentiality of the patient’s records, some patients have opposed the use of telenursing.
Conclusion
Telenursing is an important technological improvement in the medical sector. By bridging the physical gap between the patient and the nurses, improvement in the nursing services is envisaged. There are various advantages associated with telenursing. Most importantly, it reduces the time wastage in the nursing services as well as increasing the efficiency and convenience both on the side of the patient and the nurses. Telenursing has also been identified as an assuring factor to the patient. By knowing that they have a 24 hours access to the nursing services, patient develop courage and fight their condition with a stronger might. On the other hand, telenursing have got its disadvantages. There are a lot of cost implications involving the installation and use of telenursing equipment. It is therefore imperative that the department of health provide the required resources to procure the equipment. On the other hand, both the nurses and the patients should be trained on how to use the telenursing equipment. By so doing, the nursing industry is expected to go a notch higher by the use of telenursing services.
Reference
Taylor, J., Coates, E., Brewster, L., Mountain, G., Wessels, B., & Hawley, M. S. (2015). Examining the use of telehealth in community nursing: identifying the factors affecting frontline staff acceptance and telehealth adoption. Journal of advanced nursing, 71(2), 326-337.
Yesenofski, L., Kromer, S., & Hitchings, K. (2015). Nurses Leading the Transformation of Patient Care Through Telehealth. Journal of Nursing Administration, 45(12), 650-656.
Sevean, P., Dampier, S., Spadoni, M., Strickland, S., & Pilatzke, S. (2008). Bridging the distance: Educating nurses for telehealth practice. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 39(9), 413-418.
