The Power of Telehealth Nursing: Maximizing Efficiency and Provision of Quality Care

Maintaining facility efficiency and quality care is a prominent issue for healthcare facilities. Following the COVID-19 era, when telehealth visits increased by 4000%, patients and providers are still interested in taking advantage of telehealth's benefits. As of April 2022, according to AHA, a significant portion of the medical community has adopted these technologies.

Telehealth Nursing: What is it?

Telehealth nursing refers to the delivery of nursing care remotely using telecommunication technologies. Within the nursing profession, it is under the broader umbrella of telehealth, using technology in nursing to provide healthcare services from a distance. Telehealth nurses leverage digital platforms to communicate with patients. These specially trained nurses assess patients’ health conditions, provide guidance, and offer support. Through videoconferencing, mobile apps, and other telecommunication tools, telehealth nurses bridge the gap between patients and healthcare providers, ensuring convenient and efficient care delivery.

Telehealth vs. Telemedicine – The Key Differences

When comparing telemedicine vs. telehealth, the easiest way to define the difference is by viewing telemedicine as a subset of telehealth. It specifically refers to the remote delivery of clinical health services. Telehealthcare encompasses a broader scope, incorporating non-clinical healthcare activities facilitated by technology. The popularity of telehealth rose greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the intensity of COVID-19 passed, healthcare providers and consumers saw the benefits of telehealth for what they mean to healthcare facilities and the efficiency that can be harnessed.

Understanding the Taxonomy

“Telehealth” includes a broad spectrum of remote healthcare services, including telemedicine, tele education, and patient portal. Telehealth that takes place live, where the patient interacts with a provider via phone or video, is known as “synchronous telehealth.”

“Telemedicine” definition is the provision of remote clinical services via two-way communication. Telemedicine encompasses remote diagnosis and treatment by physicians. The branches of telemedicine include:

• Interactive patient care – the use of technology to engage and involve patients in their own healthcare through interactive communication and educational tools.
• Remote patient monitoring – use of devices and technology to collect and transmit patient health data from a distance, enabling healthcare providers to monitor and manage patients remotely.
• Store and forward – a method of transmitting patient information, such as medical images or records, from one healthcare provider to another for consultation or analysis at a later time.

The Role of a Telehealth Nurse

“Telehealth nursing” refers specifically to nurses delivering care remotely. Telehealth nursing is part of telemedicine and is also referred to as telenursing and nursing telepractice. Telehealth RNs use telemedicine and technology to deliver nursing care to patients in remote locations. A telehealth nurse is the primary point of contact in telehealth nursing, assessing patients, providing guidance, and offering support via telecommunication technologies, such as providing telephone triage.

A telehealth nurse’s responsibilities include:

• Educating patients
• Symptom management
• Medication management
• Remote patient monitoring, for example, by using electronic health records

8 Benefits of Telehealth Nursing for Healthcare Providers

Telehealth nursing enhances facility efficiency and improves quality of care. Through the capacity of telenursing, healthcare facility CEOs can achieve optimum facility efficiency, retain qualified registered nurses with less physical infrastructure, provide high-quality care, and extend the potential for improved patient outcomes. Telehealth nurses can care for more patients at once, increasing patient access without increasing the cost of medical care. Here are benefits for healthcare facilities:

1. Reduces staff workload and exposure: The telehealth setting alleviates the strain caused by nursing shortages and enables nurses to deliver medical care to a larger patient population with less physical strain. Telehealth nurses can provide care without being exposed to illnesses.
2. Reduces hospitalization and patient congestion: Telehealth nursing allows continuous monitoring and proactive intervention.