Competencies required for nursing telehealth activities: A Delphi-study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Informatics
• Telehealth Technology

Background:

• Telehealth is crucial for addressing healthcare demand and workforce shortages.
• Inadequate nurse training in telehealth hinders its full potential.
• Understanding nursing telehealth entrustable professional activities (NT-EPAs) is key to developing effective education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify essential NT-EPAs for nurses.
• To determine the core competencies required for executing NT-EPAs.
• To inform the development of telehealth nursing education curricula.

Main Methods:

• A four-round Delphi study involving 51 experts familiar with telehealth.
• Experts evaluated and selected competencies from a list of 52 based on literature and prior research.
• Consensus was defined as 80% agreement among panelists.

Main Results:

• Fourteen NT-EPAs were identified as important for telehealth nursing.
• Core competencies include coaching, communication, clinical knowledge, ethical awareness, and a supportive attitude.
• A total of 52 essential competencies were identified, with each NT-EPA requiring at least ten.

Conclusions:

• Many telehealth competencies are fundamental nursing skills, essential for telehealth practice.
• Specific competencies, like reassuring patients with technology anxiety, are also vital.
• The identified NT-EPAs and competencies provide a framework for telehealth nursing education.