Perceptions of Nurses Delivering Nursing Home Virtual Care Support: A Qualitative Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Services Research
• Nursing

Background:

• Avoidable hospitalizations in nursing homes lead to poor health outcomes and increased costs.
• Reducing these hospitalizations is a priority, but interventions are often resource-intensive for understaffed facilities.
• The OPTIMISTIC project (2012-2020) aimed to improve care coordination for nursing home residents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nurses' perceptions of a virtual care support project.
• To understand how telehealth expanded the reach of the OPTIMISTIC program.
• To identify factors influencing the effectiveness of virtual care support in nursing homes.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study design.
• Exploration of nurses' pilot experiences with a virtual care support project.
• Analysis of themes related to program effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Nurses' perceptions of virtual care support effectiveness were explored.
• Key themes identified include relationships, communication, and access to information.
• These factors were found to facilitate or impede program implementation.

Conclusions:

• Virtual care support, utilizing telehealth, offers a potential solution to extend enhanced care coordination.
• Strong interpersonal relationships and effective communication are crucial for successful telehealth implementation in nursing homes.
• Improving access to information is vital for optimizing the effectiveness of virtual care support programs for nursing home residents.