Telenursing: A Concept Analysis

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Health Informatics

Background:

• The persistent national nursing shortage exacerbates nurse-to-patient ratios and workload.
• Increased nurse workload is linked to adverse patient outcomes, including errors and infections.
• Existing telehealth solutions have not resolved nursing workload or staffing deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a concept analysis of telenursing.
• To clarify the definition and scope of telenursing.
• To establish a foundation for researching telenursing's role in addressing nursing shortages and improving outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Walker and Avant's eight-step concept analysis procedure.
• Defined the concept of telenursing through case examples (model, related, contrary).
• Synthesized existing literature to identify attributes and boundaries of telenursing.

Main Results:

• Identified a lack of a published, standardized concept analysis for telenursing.
• Presented a clear definition and conceptual boundaries for telenursing.
• Highlighted the need for further research into telenursing's application and impact.

Conclusions:

• A clear understanding of telenursing is essential for effective research and integration into practice.
• Telenursing has the potential to mitigate nursing workload and improve patient and nurse outcomes.
• This concept analysis provides a framework for future studies on telenursing in acute care settings.