Telehealth: Nursing of the Future

The idea of telemedicine in health care, originated from NASA who utilized the technology to monitor the vital signs of astronauts. This technology was developed in the seventies but required fine tuning, now transmissions via satellite have improved.

In 2009, it is projected that an increase number of registered nurses will view telehealth nursing more attractive than traditional roles in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. Institutions are already using more unlicensed personnel, at a lesser salary, for many tasks previously performed by nurses.

Nurses have constantly complained of the bureaucratic hierarchy of hospitals and other healthcare facilities which does not allow autonomy and advancement and of being responsible for overseeing others who are not qualified to work unsupervised. This makes the nurse liable for all care provided under their direction.

Today, "in the 21st century, improved technology is finally allowing this revolutionary concept to catch up to its full potential. Other recent developments in telehealth services include computer monitoring of blood pressures, pulses, blood sugar levels, and even long-distance wound care. The field is constantly being redefined as the equipment's capabilities evolve." (Erickson n.d.)

Nurses should have at least 5 years of clinical experience, strong assessment skills, and the ability to communicate well to other healthcare providers. Homecare experience is a plus. Home health nurses are using the telehealth system to decrease unnecessary traveling and enable them to see more patients a day.

In 1987, I was fortunate to participate in a study where I would wear a belt that measures premature labor contractions. This is telehealth in its infancy. Each day the data was downloaded, via phone, to a monitoring facility in Tampa, 145 miles away. The earlier versions of telemedicine technology had problems with transmissions, outages, static, etc.

The use Telemedicine and telehealth nursing care will rise exponentially by next year, because of an increase in the poor, uninsured, and patients living in isolated rural areas.

According to Erickson, "the Internet, DSL, broadband and satellite transmissions have elevated telehealth to a competitive level."

Nurses who desire to enter this specialty may obtain some of their training online. It is advisable to begin internet research and preparation prior to 2009. Improvement of assessment skills is available via internet.

The role of telehealth nursing is the next step ahead in medical technologies as it evolves over the next year. For those who are not sure whether telemedicine is your cup of tea, there are many sites that describe the specialty in detail.

Reference:

Erickson, A. (n.d.). Distance Nursing. www.minoritynurse.com/features/undergrad