An Experience in Telenursing

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe how a telemedicine system was used to complete a family and home assessment and to discuss issues facing advanced practice nurses (APNs) when they use such systems in practice. Incorporating discharge care into advanced practice is an increasingly important component of the nursing care given during acute illness. Telemedicine systems offer a mechanism for assessing the ways in which home situations impact on patient recovery. Telemedicine provides a method for early intervention that can ameliorate or prevent developing problems relatively inexpensively. The advantages and disadvantages of one such system, the Picasso, are described.