What is Telehealth Nursing
What Is The Definition Of Telehealth Nursing?
The definition of telehealth nursing is thought of as the use of telemedicine and technology to conduct nursing and deliver care in a remote location. This field includes telenursing, telehealth and nursing telepractice, which are all interchangeable terms.
Nurses who practice telehealth come from all settings and use technology like web cameras, VOIP, the Internet and telephone lines to deliver care over a long distance. Telehealth care is effective despite being remote. Request a telehealth demo for further insight.
Where Do Nurses Practice Telehealth?
Telehealth nursing can be done anywhere. Nurses can make use of technology to conduct telehealth sessions in their homes, at doctor’s offices, in prisons, and in clinics and hospitals. Basically, any place where the proper technology is available is a suitable place for telehealth nursing.
In emergencies, nurses from around the world can participate in telephone triage set-ups. Wherever nursing is done in a telehealth setting, nurses can monitor a patient’s oxygen levels, heart rate, respiration, blood glucose and more.
Patients contact their nurses through the telehealth system to get help. In non-emergency situations, they can get the nurse to take their blood pressure readings or glucose readings, for instance. Nurses can instruct patients as to how to dress a wound or treat a minor burn.
The patients usually find their telehealth nurses through their managed health care organization. Nurses must be overseen there to regulate patient access to the system. Most of the time, the goal is to reduce the number of trips patients make to the ER.
What Circumstances Are Ideal For Telehealth Nursing?
Those circumstances where nursing care must be done quickly and efficiently where getting to a patient physically is difficult are the ideal situations. After a natural disaster, it may be that telehealth nursing is the only option available for those with minor injuries once telecommunications systems are up and running.
Routine pre surgical and post surgical care can be administered with telehealth nurse help. Nurses can also help continue to develop the best practices for specific circumstances as they arise.
The competencies a nurse must use during telehealth session are defined by the ICN. Certification is not required this time. To find basic information for implementing, planning or conducting a routine telehealth program one must look at the instructions on the ATA website.
Licenses For Telehealth Nurses
Telehealth nursing does not always require certification, but it may require a nurse obtain licensure in order to practice in several states. In a setting that is not federal, telehealth nurses must possess a registered nurse license that complies with federal as well as state regulations. The US recognizes that the nurse licensure compact allows registered nurses to practice in all compact member states.
Competency Standards
All telehealth nurses have to meet standards of care. They must practice with in the ANA standards for safety and quality as well as competency. Specific telehealth standards are available at the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nurses and the American Nurses Association. International telenursing competencies are available. These can be obtained through the International Council of Nursing. ICN competencies are applicable to nurses in the US, Canada and in nearly 130 other countries.
Legal Requirements
Nurses who offer telehealth services must maintain patient confidentiality and HIPAA requirements that apply to this branch of nursing practice.
Employment Outlook
The US healthcare environment is continuously evolving due to resources, reimbursement changes and legalities. However, the role of telehealth nurses is expected to grow in the future.
Nurses who practice together internationally must collaborate and demonstrate leadership. The telehealth nursing technologies must cohesively offer care to patients in a similar manner across the globe and regardless of staff sizes.
