Getting a Picture

Delivery of care by nurses in virtual environments is rapidly increasing with uptake of digitally mediated technologies, such as remote patient monitoring (RPM). Knowing the person is a phenomenon in nursing practice deemed requisite to building relationships and informing clinical decisions, but it has not been studied in virtual environments.

The intent of this study was to explicate the processes of how nurses come to know the person using RPM, one form of telehealth technology used in a virtual environment.

The study was informed by Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory and included 33 interviews and 5 observational experiences of nurses using RPM in 7 different settings.

Getting a Picture evolved as the core category to a theoretical conceptualization of nurses knowing the person through use of RPM and other technologies, such as telephone and electronic medical records. Getting a Picture reflected a dynamic flow and integration of seven processes, such as Connecting With the Person and Recording and Reflecting, to describe how nurses strove to attain a visualization of the person.

While navigating disparate and disconnected information and communication technologies, Getting a Picture was important for providing safe, holistic, person-centered care.