Nurses' Perceptions of Telemedicine Adoption in the Intensive Care Unit

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Technology
• Clinical Informatics

Background:

• Telemedicine enables remote expert consultation with bedside clinical staff.
• Successful telemedicine implementation relies on acceptance by nurses and providers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare nurses' perceptions of telemedicine across two intensive care units (ICUs) at Emory University Hospital.
• To examine the relationship between nurses' years of ICU experience and their telemedicine perceptions within the Emory e-ICU Center.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive correlational study design was employed.
• Nurses from two ICUs completed demographic forms and a perception questionnaire regarding the Emory e-ICU Center.

Main Results:

• A total of 60 nurses participated; perception scores ranged from 2.4 to 5.0 (mean 3.8).
• Nurses in the acute respiratory ICU reported higher perceptions than those in the cardiovascular ICU, despite less experience.
• No significant correlation was found between years of ICU experience and telemedicine perception scores, either overall or within units.

Conclusions:

• Nurses' perceptions of the Emory e-ICU Center did not significantly differ based on years of experience.
• Findings suggest that factors other than years of experience may influence nurses' acceptance of telemedicine in ICUs.