Knowledge, attitude and readiness toward telehealth among nursing staff: a cross-sectional study

Telehealth has emerged as a promising solution for improving global healthcare delivery by leveraging telecommunications and information technology in remote nursing practice.

This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and readiness of nursing staff toward telehealth.

A cross-sectional study design was employed, conducted across three hospitals affiliated with Assiut University: El-Rajehy, Al Orman, and the Neurology and Psychiatry Hospital. A convenience sample of 250 staff nurses participated in the study. Data were collected using four tools: a demographic and work-related characteristics questionnaire, the Health Professionals' Knowledge toward Telemedicine Technology scale, the Health Professionals' Attitude toward Telemedicine Technology scale, and the Telehealth Readiness Assessment Tool (TRA).

The study identified a significant positive correlation between nurses' knowledge and their attitude and readiness for telehealth. Multiple regression analysis revealed that knowledge was a significant predictor of both attitude and readiness. Nurses with good knowledge demonstrated a higher proportion of positive attitudes (47.8%) compared to those with poor knowledge (2.7%). Notably, nurses with poor knowledge were more likely to report low readiness for telehealth (58.0%) compared to those with good knowledge (26.8%).

These findings highlight the critical role of knowledge in shaping nurses' attitudes and readiness for telehealth. Nurses with higher levels of knowledge were more likely to exhibit positive attitudes and higher readiness for telehealth implementation. Based on these results, it is essential to develop and implement comprehensive educational programs to enhance nursing staff's knowledge and attitudes toward telehealth.