Abstract
This paper reviews recent, nurse-led telehealth research with the goal of describing research findings that provide evidence for practice. Methods: Using an iterative search method, of eight electronic databases, 84 nurse-led research papers were separated into intervention research, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and descriptive research. The main emphasis was on full text analysis of the intervention research. Results: Fifteen intervention research papers reported findings related to cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, older age, young adults, early adolescents, children with special health care needs, people with a stoma, post-partum mothers and nurses. Also reviewed for useable evidence for practice were 10 systematic reviews, two meta-analyses and two papers that described reviews plus meta-analyses. Resuts: Fifty-five papers with descriptive designs are briefly described. Nurse-led intervention research is increasing knowledge about the use of telehealth technology and applications in care delivery. People with healthcare needs do better with individual attention and increased follow-up. People have a tolerance for technology used with them to advance their quality of life and healing but there is a point at which too much technology is overwhelming. Clinical research is a challenge due to the number of extraneous variables that are difficult to control and that can affect a person’s response to the research intervention. Conclusion: Continuation of nurse-led telehealth intervention research will help to ensure that technology used to support and advance care delivery will be evidence-based.
Highlights
More than 20 million nurses worldwide are involved in health professions and care delivery 24/7.1 Nurses have been involved with telehealth technology and applications for decades; the telephone has always been used by nurses to educate, consult with, and support patients and families
The design for this paper is a critical analysis of nurse-led intervention research, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and a brief discussion of the descriptive research papers found during the study period
The studies found with this literature review show many areas of interest among telehealth nurses
Summary
More than 20 million nurses worldwide are involved in health professions and care delivery 24/7.1 Nurses have been involved with telehealth technology and applications for decades; the telephone has always been used by nurses to educate, consult with, and support patients and families. Nurses’ roles in the development of researchbased evidence for practice should not be overlooked Those nurses who lead randomised controlled trials or other intervention research in the telehealth environment are a small fraction of all nurses worldwide. These role models show how nurses can be leaders in advancing evidence-based practice. With its ethos of holistic caring, will use research to strengthen its impact on healthcare with a growing body of evidence-based knowledge. This is all to the good for health and well-being of people worldwide
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