Telenursing

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Running Head: Telenursing the Future is Now 1

Telenursing…the Future Is Now

Firstname Lastname

Chamberlain College of Nursing

Running Head: Telenursing the Future is Now 2

The advent of technology has spurred a robust and growing interest in the field of

telehealth and as with any field of medicine, it has also led to an emergence of new roles for

nurses, in the form of telenursing (Sharpe, 2001). Telenursing is defined as the category of

telehealth dealing with the use of telecommunications by nursing staff to deliver healthcare or

medical information (Medscape, 2008). The practice of telenursing, while seemingly limited by

the scope of the technology used, is quite broad and offers nurses, arguably, the same scope as

available to the traditional nursing field (NCBI, 2008). This field has seen vast growth in the

recent decade, with “telenurses” working in 49 of the 50 US states and 36 countries around the

world (American Telemedicine, 2011). While telenursing has garnered most of its attention in

the recent decade, it has been around since the invention of the commercial phone, as it was

sometimes used for consultation in areas too scenic for immediate care (Sharpe, 2001). However,

healthcare providers did not implement formal telephone health programs until the early 70s, and

telenursing was not recognized and regulated until the late 90’s by the US Board of Nursing and

2009 by the International Council of Nurses (Sharpe, 2001 and ICN, 2009). The first published

literature to discuss this emerging field of medicine, was an article in 1974 written by Mary

Quinn, RN, which detailed her workings and experiences in a Boston Hospital providing remote

care to patients at Logan Airport (American Telemedicine, 2011). Since then, there has been a

profound increase in the development of this field following the advent of mobile phones, boom

of the internet, and sophistication of health care technologies (NCBI, 2008). While there has

been increased acceptance of these technologies, it has been accompanied by considerable

criticism regarding many aspects inherent to this field (Hutcherson, 2001). By carefully

scrutinizing the beneficial aspects and challenges posed by telenursing, the purpose of this report

will be to make a recommendation regarding whether a colleague in the nursing field should

accept a job offer in this emerging modality of nursing.

Job Description:

Before discussing the benefits and challenges posed by telenursing on the patient, it is

important to highlight the duties of a telenurse and adequately describe the occupation. Telenursing

is quite similar to traditional nursing and many of the responsibilities are identical (Westra, 2012).

Furthermore, telenurses can be found in all facets of medicine practicing in various ways (Westra,

2012). Telenursing is not limited by technology and has great breath, with telenurses involved in

nursing homes and prison healthcare programs, aiding in specialty offsite consultations,

monitoring vitals remotely in ICUs, and even providing healthcare information through online and

telephone services amongst many other subfields (Westra, 2012). The most common locales for

telenurses include personal residences, remote clinics, doctor’s offices, prisons, hospitals, nursing

homes, telehealth call centers, and travelling healthcare providers (American Telemedicine, 2011).

Of the many subfields, telehealth call centers, remote monitoring, and home health care are the

fastest growing (American Telemedicine, 2011). In regards to activities, most telenurses should

expect to partake in similar activities as traditional nurses, just remotely with the aid of technology

(NCBI, 2008). Common practices will include obtaining patient vitals and history via video and

telephone consultations, monitoring vitals remotely with medical technologies, and providing

advice to other individuals on site on performing mundane medical procedures, to providing

medical information to patients and performing follow-up interviews (American Telemedicine,

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Running Head: Telenursing the Future is Now Telenursing…the Future Is Now Firstname Lastname Chamberlain College of Nursing 1 Running Head: Telenursing the Future is Now 2 The advent of technology has spurred a robust and growing interest in the field of telehealth and as with any field of medicine, it has also led to an emergence of new roles for nurses, in the form of telenursing (Sharpe, 2001). Telenursing is defined as the category of telehealth dealing with the use of telecommunications by nursing staff to deliver healthcare or medical information (Medscape, 2008). The practice of telenursing, while seemingly limited by the scope of the technology used, is quite broad and offers nurses, arguably, the same scope as available to the traditional nursing field (NCBI, 2008). This field has seen vast growth in the recent decade, with “telenurses” working in 49 of the 50 US states and 36 countries around the world (American Telemedicine, 2011). While telenursing has garnered most of its attention in the recent decade, it has been around since the invention of the commercial phone, as it was sometimes used for consultation in areas too scenic for immediate care (Sharpe, 2001). However, healthcare providers did not implement formal telephone health programs until the early 70s, and telenursing was not recognized and regulated until the late 90’s by the US Board of Nursing and 2009 by the International Council of Nurses (Sharpe, 2001 and ICN, 2009). The first publish ...
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