Evidence-Based Proposal and Annotated Bibliography on Technology in Nursing
Telehealth
Telehealth uses technology such as digital communications to facilitate the provision of health services, including medical care and health information services. The topic of Telehealth has become significant in today’s healthcare system, due to the increasing physical barriers to healthcare access, especially during the COVID 19 pandemic (Snoswell et al., 2020). The controversies surrounding the safety of integration of information technology in healthcare have significantly impaired the adoption of Telehealth by many providers. Research studies on the issue have produced contradicting findings. It is essential to analyze current literature on the topic to determine whether Telehealth is worth adopting. This paper will conduct an annotated bibliography of studies on the benefits of Telehealth. In the paper, I used articles from the PubMed online database to conduct my research on Telehealth. My search terms and phrases were Telehealth and improving healthcare delivery using Telehealth.
Mataxen, P. A., & Webb, L. D. (2019). Telehealth nursing: More than just a phone call. Nursing2020, 49(4), 11-13. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nurse.0000553272.16933.4b
The article sought to increase awareness of telehealth and its healthcare benefit. Answering healthcare questions through phone calls has been the norm since the 1970s. Patients call the doctors and nurses for inquiries about medication; pregnant mothers call nurses to seek information on their progression and schedule appointments. However, contrary to tradition, where only telephones were used to exchange health education information, today, the role of information technology in healthcare has become more comprehensive. The article gives evidence of the critical and expanded role telehealth plays in improving healthcare delivery services. In some health care settings, telehealth is employed in remote diagnosis of illnesses, delivery of health information, and guiding nurses in calming agitated patients or dispatching ambulances for emergencies. This article was selected because it provides critical information on how healthcare providers can utilize telehealth to improve the delivery of various healthcare services.
Rutledge, C. M., O’Rourke, J., Mason, A. M., Chike-Harris, K., Behnke, L., Melhado, L., … & Gustin, T. (2021). Telehealth competencies for nursing education and practice: The four P’s of telehealth. Nurse Educator, 46(5), 300. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8395962/
As the campaigns to adopt telehealth intensifies, an equivalent effort to equip providers with the relevant competencies is missing. This is a significant factor in attaining the projected benefits of telehealth. The article seeks to enlighten the critical competencies necessary for providers involved in telehealth implementation. Telehealth is being utilized to improve access to and delivery of healthcare services to individuals who lack access. The outbreak of the pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth. So many people could not access healthcare facilities due to restrictions and the congestion experienced in many hospitals. Telehealth became the preferred option. However, care provided through the telehealth approach did not meet the projected standards. This was attributed to knowledge deficiency among providers regarding telehealth planning, preparing, delivering, and performance evaluation. There is, therefore, a need to integrate these aspects of telehealth into the nursing curriculum. The article was selected because it offers critical insight to nurses on the telehealth competencies to improve on to promote attainment of the projected telehealth benefits.
Blandford, A., Wesson, J., Amalberti, R., AlHazme, R., & Allwihan, R. (2020). Opportunities and challenges for telehealth within and beyond the pandemic. The Lancet Global Health, 8(11), e1364-e1365. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(20)30362-4
The outbreak of the Covid pandemic has revolutionized everything. The restrictions on travel and the ease of transmission have led to the virus’s rapid spread across the globe. In addition, due to hospital congestion and fear of visiting healthcare facilities with COVID 19 patients, access to care has declined. This article sought to enlighten the benefits of telehealth, especially during the pandemic. Telehealth is the provision of health services remotely while individuals manage their health under the guidance of a nurse or doctor. The doctor or nurse uses digital communications to monitor the patient’s progress. Telehealth has been effective in managing infectious diseases such as Covid 19 as it reduces the risk of spread. Therefore, it promotes the safety of the care providers, especially when there is a limited supply of personal protection resources. It has also promoted better care outcomes, especially in patients with mild conditions, because they are not exposed to other critically ill patients. To facilitate the implementation of telehealth, some hospitals have already introduced robots to monitor and facilitate communications between the patient-doctor.
However, successful implementation of telehealth does not only involve telephones. There is also a need to change the work process to accommodate telehealth and train providers on telehealth systems. This will instill confidence in the patients that the services offered through telehealth are effective. Hospitals should implement policies governing telehealth and install the best software and security installations to ensure data protection of the patients. Hospitals also need to streamline the telehealth process and ensure that patients are well managed and benefit fully from telehealth. In addition, telehealth must be affordable to ensure inclusivity. These strategies will improve the adoption of telehealth, thus paving the way for the realization of projected benefits. The article was selected because it guides healthcare stakeholders in understanding the strategies to improve the realization of the benefits of telehealth.
Rutledge, C. M., & Gustin, T. (2021). Preparing nurses for roles in telehealth: Now is the time. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol26No01Man03
The pandemic rapidly increased the adoption of telehealth while nurses had little training on how to use telehealth to treat patients effectively. Telehealth has suddenly become a priority with the outbreak of the pandemic. The article seeks to provide insight into the role of telehealth in improving patient care and how to maximize these benefits. Nurses are the frontline healthcare providers. Therefore, they have taken an active role in the rapid implementation of telehealth during the pandemic. This initiative has significantly improved care access, especially amidst increasing hospital congestion. However, the major challenge has been inadequate telehealth literacy among nurses.
The national league of nursing had given little priority to telehealth before the pandemic. Therefore, nurse training on telehealth was not part of the curriculum. This indicates that Nurse educators and nursing education programs significantly influence the realization of the benefits of telehealth. They help ensure graduating nurses have adequate telehealth competencies. Nurses’ lack of telehealth skills has also impacted their attitude and perception of telehealth, which significantly influences change resistance. It is clear telehealth is very beneficial in care delivery. It helps monitor patients with conditions such as heart disease and those who lack adequate income to visit hospitals. It is also clear telehealth is not going anywhere. There is, therefore, a need to reduce barriers to benefit maximization. Healthcare organizations need to include nurse training on telehealth as part of the telehealth pre-implementation plan. The article was selected because it guides healthcare stakeholders in deriving maximum benefit from telehealth.
References
Blandford, A., Wesson, J., Amalberti, R., AlHazme, R., & Allwihan, R. (2020). Opportunities and challenges for telehealth within, and beyond, a pandemic. The Lancet Global Health, 8(11), e1364-e1365. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(20)30362-4
Mataxen, P. A., & Webb, L. D. (2019). Telehealth nursing: More than just a phone call. Nursing2020, 49(4), 11-13. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nurse.0000553272.16933.4b
Rutledge, C. M., & Gustin, T. (2021). Preparing nurses for roles in telehealth: Now is the time. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol26No01Man03
Rutledge, C. M., O’Rourke, J., Mason, A. M., Chike-Harris, K., Behnke, L., Melhado, L., … & Gustin, T. (2021). Telehealth competencies for nursing education and practice: The four P’s of telehealth. Nurse Educator, 46(5), 300. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8395962/
Snoswell, C. L., Taylor, M. L., Comans, T. A., Smith, A. C., Gray, L. C., & Caffery, L. J. (2020). Determining if telehealth can reduce health system costs: scoping review. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(10), e17298. https://www.jmir.org/2020/10/e17298/
Evidence-Based Proposal and Annotated Bibliography on Technology in Nursing Scoring Guide
| CRITERIA | NON-PERFORMANCE | BASIC | PROFICIENT | DISTINGUISHED |
| Analyze current evidence on the impact of a selected patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team. | Does not analyze current evidence on the impact of a selected patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team. | Identifies but does not analyze current evidence on the impact of a selected patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team. | Analyzes current evidence on the impact of a selected patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team. | Provides a rigorous, scholarly, and perceptive analysis of current evidence on the impact of a selected patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team. |
| Integrate current evidence about the impact of a selected patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team into a recommendation. | Does not integrate current evidence about the impact of a selected patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team into a recommendation. | Integrates some evidence about the impact of a selected patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team into a recommendation, but the work lacks detail or is missing critical information. | Integrates current evidence about the impact of a selected patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team into a recommendation. | Integrates well-researched and current evidence about the impact of a selected innovative patient care technology on patient safety, quality of care, and the interdisciplinary team into a recommendation. Provides clear insight into the potential implications of the technology on patient safety and quality of care. |
| Describe organizational factors influencing the selection of a technology in the health care setting. | Does not describe organizational factors influencing the selection of a technology in the health care setting. | Identifies but does not fully describe organizational factors influencing the selection of a technology in the health care setting. | Describes organizational factors influencing the selection of a technology in the health care setting. | Provides a scholarly, comprehensive, and well-researched description of organizational factors influencing the selection of a technology in the health care setting. |
| Justify the implementation and use of a selected technology in a health care setting. | Does not justify the implementation and use of a selected technology in a health care setting. | Explains but does not justify the implementation and use of a selected technology in a health care setting. | Justifies the implementation and use of a selected technology in a health care setting. | Justifies the implementation and use of a selected technology in a health care setting. Provides an in-depth and well-researched analysis of the impact of the technology on quality care and patient safety. |
| Create a clear, well-organized, and professional annotated bibliography that is generally free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. | Does not create a clear, well-organized, and professional annotated bibliography that is generally free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. | Provides an annotated bibliography that has errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling and exhibits a lack of preparation. | Creates a clear, well-organized, and professional annotated bibliography that is generally free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. | Creates a clear, well-organized, and professional annotated bibliography that is free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. |
| Follow APA style and formatting guidelines for all bibliographic entries. | Does not follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references. | Partially follows APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references. | Follows APA style and formatting guidelines for all bibliographic entries. | Follows APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references with flawless precision and accuracy. |