The use of telehealth to reach patients not only reduced stress for nursing home residents, but also increased their ability to access convenient care, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Missouri.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced nursing homes to widely adopt telehealth in an effort to reduce stress on the healthcare system, keep residents safe and avoid unnecessary transfers to already-overwhelmed hospitals. To understand the benefits and challenges within long-term care, Kimberly Powell, PhD, RN, CNE, an assistant professor in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing, interviewed nursing home clinicians and administrators from a sample of 700 nursing homes across the country.
Powell found that, in addition to reducing stress on residents and improving access to care, the adoption of telehealth during the pandemic was quicker and smoother for nursing homes that already had experience using it before. Online visits also help skilled nursing facilities save time and money.
“Transporting a resident to the hospital can be a very traumatic and stressful experience,” Powell said. “Whether it’s a fall in the middle of the night or a sudden change in vitals, if a nurse can quickly hop on a Zoom call with a resident and make an assessment, perhaps an intervention plan can be developed that allows the resident to be treated in the nursing home, which saves time, money and an unnecessary transfer to the hospital.”
Still, there are other impacts to consider, she noted.
While telehealth offers unprecedented convenience, it also can remove much-needed socialization opportunities for older adults, and even create confusion for nursing home residents with cognitive difficulties.
“While telehealth can be very convenient and beneficial, it should not be viewed as a one-size-fits-all solution, and this study helped us see various nuances involved,” she said.
Full findings were published in Applied Clinical Informatics.
From the December 2021 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
