Pondicherry Journal of Nursing Vol 7, Issue2, May - August’14
TELENURSING: A VISION IN INDIA *Mrs. R. Rajeswari,
Introduction: in coverage of health care to distant, rural, small “Technology doesnot drive change- it enables or sparsely populated regions. change” Meaning : Telenursing refers to the use of Tele-nursing is the use of telecommunication telecommunication and information technology technology to provide nursing practice at a in the provision of nursing services whenever a distance. This can be something as simple as large physical distance exists between patient faxing medical records to the more complex and nurse, or between any number of nurses. As delivery of nursing care to patients' home a field, it is part of telehealth, and has many through the use of cameras and computer points of contacts with other medical and non- technologies. medical applications, such as telediagnosis, Definition: teleconsultation, telemonitoring, etc It is defined as subset of telehealth in which its Currently, India is facing a shortage of more main focus is on profession‟s practice (i.e. than million nurses, the nurse-per-bed ratio in Nursing) India is 0.87 as against the world average of 1.2 - American Nurses Association nurses-per-bed (WHO).This scenario needs to be rectified. To meet the patient‟s need, many Significance: health care agencies are looking for innovative Tele-nursing has also been used as a tool in ways to care for a large number of patients. home nursing. It is especially useful in cases With over 70 per cent of India‟s population of elderly and chronically ill patients who living in the villages and more than 75 per cent need to be nursed at home and are remotely of the doctors are in the cities, it was pointed out located. that tele-medicine could emerge as a feasible Tele-nursing can also provide opportunities bridge to minimize the rural-urban health divide for patient education, professional in the country. It was stated that tele-medicine, consultations, examination of test results and if used effectively in nursing profession, had the assisting physicians in implementation of potential to help improve the efficiency of both medical treatment protocols. nurses and doctors as they would be able to treat Today nurses can offer consultation and more patients. comfort to patients whether they are in the same city or thousands of kilometers away. Telenursing is achieving a large rate of growth Over the telephone, nurses can calm an in many countries, due to several factors: the anxious patient. preoccupation in driving down the costs of Tele-nursing, nurses manage the demand for health care, an increase in the number of aging health services and chronically ill population, and the increase
*Reader, Medical Surgical Nursing, Indrani College of Nursing, Ariyur, Puducherry. 13
Pondicherry Journal of Nursing Vol 7, Issue2, May - August’14
Telephones also allow nurses to take their their urgency, educating and advising clients, services out into the community through and making safe, effective, and appropriate mobile health teams. dispositions all by telephone. Nurses may also Telehealth technology offers increase in direct clients to obtain a second medical productivity for nurses by reducing the travel opinion, or advise them where to find relevant, time and increasing the daily census current health information. They might Tele-nursing is a cost-effective strategy for counsel or perform crisis intervention for a making health care accessible to the whole threatened suicide. nation with dispersed or rural population Counseling : counsel high risk population Nurses also use state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment as a tool for the Communication: Technology now also assessment and treatment of patients. enables nurses to deliver health care in rural Tele-Nursing removes the barriers to health and remote locations, and areas without health care for people living in remote villages or care services. where adequate health Nursing education: services are not Nursing education available. HOME through two way Nurses are able to spend CARE audio video more time on direct conferencing. patient care rather than QUALITY Implications for indirect care, resulting student learners: in better use of their HEALTH CARE RURAL TRIAGE Telenursing is time and education SERVICES WITH SERVICES TELENURSING becoming new reality Applications of in nursing. Nurses in Telenursing: HEALTH telehealth care, use Home care :Patients CARE nursing care plan to SERVICES who are immobilized, or provide care, but live in remote or they use internet, difficult to reach places, Quality Care and Telenursing Model computer, digital citizens who have chronic ailments, may stay assessment tools, and telemonitoring
at home and be "visited" and assisted regularly equipments. Inclusion of Telenursing in by a nurse via videoconferencing, internet or nursing curriculummay enhance the use art of videophone. In normal home health care, one technology with internet, telephonic services nurse is able to visit up to 5-7 patients per day. in providing health care rather than direct Using telenursing, one nurse can “visit” 12-16 care. patients in the same amount of time. Telephone triage :Telephone triage involves ranking clients' health problems according to
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Pondicherry Journal of Nursing Vol 7, Issue2, May - August’14
Issues in telenursing effectiveness over time as the workflow and No face to face contact business environment continue to evolve. Visualization work - build a mental picture of References : the caller during triage Glinkowski. W, Pawlowska K, Kozlowska Getting simulated calls L(2013) telehealth and telenursing perception Conclusion : and knowledge among university students of nursing in Poland, Telemedicine JE According to the experts, telenursing will help health,19(7)523-539 cushion the impending shortage of trained nurses and also ensure a continuous flow of Kushniruk AW, et al (2005). Technology nursing staff who could also treat and nurse induced error and usability: the relationship more number of patients at a given point of time between usability problems and prescription with the assistance of tele-medicine and tele- errors when using a handheld application. nursing technology. Leadership and International Journal of Medical Informatics, collaboration among international nurses are 74(7–8): 519–526. necessary to outline the uses of Telehealth and telehealth technologies to provide nursing care Mantas J., Hasman A.,(2002), Text book in in an interdisciplinary manner to patients, health informatics: A Nursing Perspective, regardless of time, staffing and geographic IOS Press, 504 boundaries.Continuous cycles of usability evaluation, modification of software issues, Pong R.W. (1999).Licensing physicians for followed by repeated usability analyses are telehealth practices: issues and policy options, Health Law Review, 8(1), 3-14. needed in order to ensure system efficiency and
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