Telerounding: A scoping review and implications for future healthcare practice

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Technology
• Medical Informatics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Telerounding is an emerging healthcare delivery model with increasing utilization.
• A comprehensive literature review is essential to understand its themes and implementation challenges.
• This study synthesizes evidence on telerounding's utility and critical success factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of telerounding literature.
• To identify key themes and considerations for effective telerounding implementation.
• To provide evidence supporting the integration of telerounding into future healthcare practices.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search of nine scientific databases was performed.
• Articles published up to August 2020 were screened for relevance to telerounding policies, regulations, or practice.
• Data were organized into categories: sample characteristics, technology, study constructs, and outcomes.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one articles met the inclusion criteria, all focusing on telerounding practice.
• The majority of studies involved adult surgical patients and utilized robotic systems.
• Reported outcomes showed predominantly null or positive effects on measured variables.

Conclusions:

• Telerounding benefits patients and providers by reducing costs and infection risks, potentially shortening hospital stays.
• Patient and provider willingness to adopt telerounding is high, though influenced by demographics.
• Successful telerounding implementation necessitates attention to provider education, technological logistics, scheduling, and organizational context.