Communication patterns and technical quality of virtual visits in home care

Ten patients in a home care study received virtual visits from nurses via analogue video-phones in their homes. They received standard home care services and two virtual visits per week. The visits were video-recorded and then reviewed. The study involved 10 patients and 10 nurses from one urban and three rural home care agencies. Six of the patients had congestive heart failure, three had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and one required diabetes-related wound care. The average age of the patients was 78 years (SD 12). All but one lived in rural areas. One hundred and twenty-two virtual visits were reviewed for technical quality. Their mean duration was 21 min (range 5-60). The technical quality was given an average rating of 95% (range 57-100%). There were no technical problems in 78 visits (64%); in 10 cases (8%) there was difficulty establishing a connection. A content analysis of 30 of the visits identified 13 themes, such as assessing the patient's clinical status, promotion of compliance with medication and treatment, psychosocial issues, general informal talk and patient education. In general, the technical problems were minor and did not appear to interfere with care.