Toward Best Practice Guidelines and Curricula for Virtual Care (Telehealth) in a Cancer Center: Protocol for a...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Informatics
• Telehealth Practice

Background:

• Virtual health care, including telehealth, has a long history but lacks defined competencies for safe practice.
• A significant education-practice gap exists in virtual care for nurses and other health professionals.
• Existing literature shows a limited understanding of the necessary skills for virtual care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify clinical guidelines for virtual health (telehealth) assessment, triage, and follow-up care.
• To identify curricula for preparing health professionals for virtual care.
• To codetermine core competencies and curricula for nurses in telehealth clinics within a cancer treatment service.

Main Methods:

• A phased, multimethod study incorporating literature reviews.
• Qualitative data collection through in-depth interviews (n=20) and quantitative data collection via online surveys (n=200).
• Co-design workshops (n=5) to develop guidelines and curricula, followed by a pilot and evaluation.

Main Results:

• Literature reviews confirm a lack of existing virtual health assessment guidelines.
• An urgent need exists for telehealth competency frameworks and curricula for health professionals.
• The project proposes a method to develop and test these essential materials in practice.

Conclusions:

• Collaboration among health providers, consumers, and academics is crucial for developing standards of practice and curricula.
• This project will bridge the gap in guidelines and education for nurses in virtual care.
• Ensuring the nursing workforce is prepared for the rise in virtual care is essential.