Telehealth in Nursing Education: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Telehealth
• Virtual Healthcare Delivery

Background:

• Telehealth utilizes diverse technologies for remote medical, health, and educational services.
• This systematic review assesses the last decade of research on nursing education and telehealth.
• The study focuses on academic nursing education settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the current state of scientific research in nursing education and telehealth.
• To identify gaps and trends in telehealth nursing education scholarship.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
• Inclusion criteria focused on nursing education research concerning telehealth in academic contexts.

Main Results:

• Thirteen articles met the inclusion criteria for the review.
• Identified limitations include a lack of rigorous research design, validated instruments, and measurable outcomes.
• Significant gaps exist in the current body of telehealth nursing education research.

Conclusions:

• A notable deficiency in research specifically addressing nursing education and telehealth was identified.
• One validated article on 14 nursing telehealth entrustable professional activities and 52 competencies offers a potential foundation.
• This framework could guide curriculum development, outcome measurement, and future telehealth nursing education research programs.