Abstract
Background: Digitalization in the German health care system is progressing slowly, even though it offers opportunities for
improvement of care. In nursing homes, most of the staff’s work is paper based. Following the pandemic, there has been a
decrease in the use of telemedicine applications. To ensure long-term implementation, the views of users, in this case nurses,
are of interest.
Objective: This cross-sectional study was conducted to describe which digital applications are already being used at inpatient
care facilities, the attitude of nurses toward telemedicine, and for which areas the use of telemedicine in the facilities is
considered appropriate by the participants.
Methods: All inpatient care facility staff in Schleswig-Holstein were invited to participate in the survey from August 1 to
October 31, 2022. The questionnaire consists of 17 determinants that ask about the attitude, use, and possible applications
of telemedicine. In addition to a descriptive analysis, the influence of the general attitude toward telemedicine on various
determinants was examined using the Fisher exact test for nominal variables and Spearman correlation coefficient for metric
variables.
Results: A total of 425 caregivers participated in the survey. Of these respondents, 10.7% (n=41) currently used video
consultations, and 76.1% (n=321) of the respondents were in favor of video consultations being practiced in training. Furthermore, 74.8% (n=312) of the respondents would attend a training on telephone medical consultation. Respondents indicated that
video consultations have a small added value compared to asynchronous telemedicine (eg, sending photos). However, video
consultations were perceived as somewhat less time-consuming than other communication channels. Video consultations are
perceived as most useful for clarifying urgent problems. The respondents estimated that one in five paramedic calls at their
facilities could be reduced through telemedicine approaches. It was important to the participants that telemedicine is as simple
as possible and that there is a high level of data security.
Conclusions: Although many caregivers have a positive attitude toward telemedicine and perceive its advantages, communication channels such as video consultation are still used infrequently in care facilities. To promote the use of telemedicine
applications, it is important to emphasize their benefits. The presumed saving of paramedic calls thus represents a benefit, and
it is crucial to train caregivers in the use of telemedicine to avoid uncertainties in dealing with the newer technologies. It is
important to give them enough time and repetitions of the training
improvement of care. In nursing homes, most of the staff’s work is paper based. Following the pandemic, there has been a
decrease in the use of telemedicine applications. To ensure long-term implementation, the views of users, in this case nurses,
are of interest.
Objective: This cross-sectional study was conducted to describe which digital applications are already being used at inpatient
care facilities, the attitude of nurses toward telemedicine, and for which areas the use of telemedicine in the facilities is
considered appropriate by the participants.
Methods: All inpatient care facility staff in Schleswig-Holstein were invited to participate in the survey from August 1 to
October 31, 2022. The questionnaire consists of 17 determinants that ask about the attitude, use, and possible applications
of telemedicine. In addition to a descriptive analysis, the influence of the general attitude toward telemedicine on various
determinants was examined using the Fisher exact test for nominal variables and Spearman correlation coefficient for metric
variables.
Results: A total of 425 caregivers participated in the survey. Of these respondents, 10.7% (n=41) currently used video
consultations, and 76.1% (n=321) of the respondents were in favor of video consultations being practiced in training. Furthermore, 74.8% (n=312) of the respondents would attend a training on telephone medical consultation. Respondents indicated that
video consultations have a small added value compared to asynchronous telemedicine (eg, sending photos). However, video
consultations were perceived as somewhat less time-consuming than other communication channels. Video consultations are
perceived as most useful for clarifying urgent problems. The respondents estimated that one in five paramedic calls at their
facilities could be reduced through telemedicine approaches. It was important to the participants that telemedicine is as simple
as possible and that there is a high level of data security.
Conclusions: Although many caregivers have a positive attitude toward telemedicine and perceive its advantages, communication channels such as video consultation are still used infrequently in care facilities. To promote the use of telemedicine
applications, it is important to emphasize their benefits. The presumed saving of paramedic calls thus represents a benefit, and
it is crucial to train caregivers in the use of telemedicine to avoid uncertainties in dealing with the newer technologies. It is
important to give them enough time and repetitions of the training
Originalsprache | Englisch |
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Zeitschrift | JMIR Aging |
Jahrgang | 2024 |
Ausgabenummer | e47072 |
DOIs | |
Publikationsstatus | Veröffentlicht - 07.08.2024 |