District nurses’ views on and experiences with a telemedicine educational programme in palliative care

Abstract

District nurses' views on and experiences with a telemedicine educational programme in palliative care Background: Medical advancements, limited resources and shifting demographics have increased the number of patients with palliative care needs in primary care. To address educational needs, the specialised palliative care team of South Jutland, Denmark, created a telemedicine educational programme in palliative care to empower district nurses. Aim: The study aimed to explore district nurses' views on and experiences with a telemedicine educational programme in palliative care. Research methods: A qualitative explorative study based on interpretive description was conducted. Data collection consisted of four focus group interviews with district nurses from three municipalities, supplemented by participant observations and a focus group interview with teachers from the specialised palliative care team. Data were analysed using predominately inductive thematic analysis. Results: District nurses (n = 15) who participated in the programme and members of the specialised palliative care team (n = 6) who taught the programme were included. Analysis revealed the following advantages: reaffirming and updating existing knowledge, reduced professional isolation and creation of a forum to promote knowledge dissemination. A disadvantage was limited interaction between teachers and district nurses, questioning suitability for teaching complex palliative care. Initial technical problems affected motivation to participate. Organisational support differed between participating municipalities resulting in varying degrees of programme integration. Despite advantages of IT-expert-led sessions, key-nurse-led sessions in smaller groups proved more beneficial, suggesting a combination of IT support and key-nurse management to maximise benefits. Conclusion: The use of an inter-professional telemedicine educational programme to teach palliative care to district nurses is beneficial. However, programmes should be designed for interactivity and address varying educational needs. Key-nurse roles require managerial and IT support to optimise knowledge dissemination. Further research on implementation of telemedicine education in palliative care is needed.

Home‐based nursing care competencies: A scoping review

“…The included articles were published from 1992 to 2020, with most conducted in the United States of America ( n = 25, 39.1%) (Ark & Nies, 1996; Badzek et al, 2006; Benefield, 1996; Borrelli et al, 2001; Brown et al, 2003, 2010; Bryant & Cloonan, 1992; Buckley et al, 2005; Campinha‐Bacote & Narayan, 2000; Canton et al, 2009; Cuyar, 1998; Dansky et al, 2003; Ervin et al, 2004; Flynn & Deatrick, 2003; Glajchen & Bookbinder, 2001; Hyde, 1996; Irani et al, 2018; Narayan & Scafide, 2017; Potter & Peden‐McAlpine, 2002; Starren et al, 2005; Sun et al, 2019; Thiel et al, 2019; Truglio‐Londrigan, 2013; Vallerand et al, 2004; Zoeteman, 2002), followed by the United Kingdom ( n = 10, 15.6%) (Aitken, 2006; Bennett & Mansell, 2004; Birtwistle et al, 2002; Cantrell, 1998; Davies et al, 2010; Griffiths et al, 2010; Irvine, 2005; Kennedy, 2004; Kennedy et al, 2011; Shipman et al, 2008). Others were conducted in Australia ( n = 3, 4.69%) (Annells et al, 2008; Brownhill et al, 2013; Felembam et al, 2012); Brazil ( n = 1, 1.56%) (Valle et al, 2016); Canada ( n = 2, 3.13%) (Higuchi et al, 2002; Mildon & Underwood, 2010); Denmark ( n = 1, 1.56%) (Bauer et al, 2020); Finland ( n = 3, 4.69%) (Aro et al, 2018; Stolt et al, 2013; Vaartio‐Rajalin et al, 2020); Hong Kong ( n = 1, 1.56%) (Chow et al, 2008); Japan ( n = 2, 3.13%) (Asahara et al, 2013; Iwasaki et al, 2017); Norway ( n = 6, 9.38%) (Aasgaard et al, 2014; Berland et al, 2012; Finnbakk et a...…”

“…The reviewed articles highlighted the need for nurses to adapt to the latest information technology or digital innovation (Bauer et al, 2020; Dansky et al, 2003; Starren et al, 2005). Dansky et al (2003) revealed that nursing‐related care was performed on average for 13.2 min in a telehomecare session.…”

“…The study also found that 47% ( n = 559) of the tasks performed through telehomecare were people‐related activities, which included exchanging information with patients and assessing patient adherence to treatment (Dansky et al, 2003). Other reviewed articles highlighted other technology platforms such as virtual visits (Husebø & Storm, 2014) and telemedicine or telehealth (Bauer et al, 2020; Starren et al, 2005). In addition, the reviewed articles also noted the need for nurses to be able to manage complex technology and use computerised documentation or clinical information systems effectively (Cuyar, 1998; Mildon & Underwood, 2010).…”

First Experiences with Online Last Aid Courses for Public Palliative Care Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Both participants and instructors describe reduced interaction and discussion in the OLAC. Interactivity is an important factor for internet and video-based education and must be taken into account in order to address the needs of the participants [ 23 ]. As mentioned in the introduction, palliative care should be everyone’s business but death-illiteracy is prevalent and most citizens lack knowledge about end-of-life care [ 4 , 5 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Telehomecare: A Comprehensive Analysis of Its Relevance and Impact

“…Some patients had difficulty operating the equipment, which raised questions about the selection of the most appropriate candidates for use. Many nurses had minimal exposure to computers, and they were hesitant to switch to typewritten nurse notes [19] [20]. Instead, they preferred to document video visits using both the electronic record and handwritten notes.…”