Patient empowerment and education through telehealth are crucial elements in nursing service delivery for the elderly. The nursing field continues to grow with the expansion of telehealth, and nurses have an essential role in ensuring that older individuals know how to use it and be informed of the benefits it may bring to their well-being. Jensen et al. (2019) argue that to educate on telehealth, nurses may use different techniques, which begin by solving all the technical problems. This involves providing concise and clear instructions on how the devices can be operated, navigating the telehealth platforms, and solving everyday complications. In addition, nurses can help other medical specialists produce memory aids that are easy to navigate and designed specifically for senior people, such as manual texts or online video courses.
Apart from technical standards of applying telehealth ideas, more components of any education are involved. The advantages of telehealth, e.g., higher accessibility, managerial practicability, and the possibility of tracking health issues from one’s comfort place, are well interpreted by the nurses (Jensen et al., 2019). They describe how telehealth appointments can help reduce the need for many of those follow-up appointments in person, especially for routine visits such as those that might be necessary for older people, hence reducing the hassles associated with traveling. The emphasis in the empowerment phase is built on promoting active participation and involvement in telehealth services through nurses. This encompasses educating patients on how to accurately document and report their symptoms, using technological devices to monitor crucial symptoms, and managing their health effectively. Due to nurses’ assistance in helping the elderly become collaborators in their recovery, wellness is achieved through building a sense of autonomy and self-efficacy among the older patients themselves, leading to good health results.
Integration of Telehealth into Home Health Nursing
The implementation of telehealth assisted by home care workers in home health nursing revolutionized the practice of professionals in delivering health care services to old persons. Besides mobilizing resources to overcome the barriers to accessibility of health services experienced by older patients, personal health nursing via telehealth allows nurses to provide particular interventions to each patient. According to Nasir et al. (2018), a critical aspect of this integration is using virtual fluency with nursing skills to address a changing life in the virtual world compared to reality. Home health nurses use telehealth technologies to conduct virtual/web-based assessment processes, to remotely track issues such as pulse and blood pressure, and to interact with people and their families. In this case, nurses remain connected with cited patients using video calls, messaging apps, and medical technology. This link allows for timely and consistent monitoring of the patient’s condition and immediate wiping out issues.
Telehealth’s ability to adapt may, through remote consultation with professional nurses, go beyond the boundaries of home health care. Besides carrying out continuous care, they can also handle the challenging medical needs of aged patients, such as treating chronic diseases, dispensing medicine, and dressing (Groom et al., 2021). In addition, the virtual setting allows nurses to involve caregivers or family members in the caring process, thereby supporting a constructive approach for a collaborative strategy to help older adults through comprehensive care. In addition, telehealth as well has been incorporated into home health nursing to promote patient-centered care. Nurses can personalize interventions to fit any elderly individual’s preferences and values- the values and lifestyles admitted in the treatment (Nasir et al., 2018). Beyond providing a better treatment quality overall, implementing this strategy increases the patient’s engagement and satisfaction.
Cultural Competence in Telehealth Nursing
The ability of telehealth nurses to practice with cultural competency makes the provision of adequate and integrated medical care available to the senior population contingent on the provision. However, since individuals of advanced age are diverse in origin, language, and culture, it is only a delicate, knowledgeable approach that may guarantee that telehealth interventions are well-conversed with every individual’s tastes. While treating an older population using telehealth strategies, healthcare providers should be aware of ethnic barriers that typically exist within the population (Hilty et al., 2021). This requires understanding and knowing about cultural practices, health practices, and language barriers. The first step to developing cultural awareness is to acknowledge that there is diversity among their population of older people and tailor telehealth procedures to reflect cultural sensitivity.
The governance of communication requires the use of language, and cultural competence demands dealing with linguistic differences. It is also essential that nurses, sometimes with the help of interpreters or multi-linguistic resources, ensure that elderly patients can understand telehealth instructions, share their health concerns, and actively engage in virtual/online consultations with clinicians. Hilty et al. (2021) argue that breaking through language barriers is crucial in building trust and providing a therapeutic relationship between the nurse and an elderly patient. In addition, cultural competence also includes making healthcare plans fit in with the cultural norms and preferences. For instance, diet restrictions and other traditional treatment philosophies can be very relevant to elderly healthcare decisions. Family support may also highly impact their healthcare decision-making process (Arends et al., 2021). Cultural competence in telehealth is essential for nurses who work within the framework of care plan design, adherence, and overall patient satisfaction; these are elements they consider when designing a care plan for the patient.
Conclusion
This literature review emphasizes the nurses’ central role as caregivers in providing telehealth to older adults in society. This is because a holistic and patient-centered approach is taken. When considered collectively, the discussed subtopics present a transformative picture of telehealth, encompassing patient education and nursing empowerment, thereby bridging technological gaps. Promoting a culturally competent approach guarantees inclusiveness while fostering teamwork among healthcare teams. The interventional role of nurses relying upon remote monitoring chr, chronic disease management, and constant assessment demonstrates the dynamic nature of the profession, resulting in significant contributions to the well-being of elders. However, the swirl of these elements points out the importance and potentiality of telehealth nursing, which can enhance clinical outcomes, support population health, and improve the quality of care for older adults.
References
Jensen, C. M., Overgaard, S., Wiil, U. K., & Clemensen, J. (2019). Can telehealth support self-care and empowerment? A qualitative study of hip fracture patients’ experiences with testing an “App.” SAGE open nursing, 5, 2377960819825752. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2377960819825752
Nasir, J. A., Hussain, S., & Dang, C. (2018). An integrated planning approach towards home health care, telehealth, and patient group-based care. Journal of network and computer applications, 117, 30-41. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1084804518301711
Groom, L. L., McCarthy, M. M., Stimpfel, A. W., & Brody, A. A. (2021). Telemedicine and telehealth in nursing homes: an integrative review. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 22(9), 1784-1801. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525861021002589
Hilty, D. M., Crawford, A., Teshima, J., Nasatir-Hilty, S. E., Luo, J., Chisler, L. S., … & Lu, F. G. (2021). Mobile health and cultural competencies as a foundation for telehealth care: A scoping review. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 6, 197-230. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41347-020-00180-5
Arends, R., Gibson, N., Marckstadt, S., Britson, V., Nissen, M. K., & Voss, J. (2021). Enhancing the nurse practitioner curriculum to improve telehealth competency. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 33(5), 391-397. https://journals.lww.com/jaanp/abstract/2021/05000/enhancing_the_nurse_practitioner_curriculum_to.11.aspx?context=latestarticles
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