Introduction
The recent decades could be characterized by the dramatic changes in various spheres of human activity. The development of technologies results in the appearance of several concerns that impact the way people perform their tasks and introduces significant changes. These alterations are aimed at the significant improvement of the level of performance and the efficiency of various processes. In this regard, the healthcare sector was the first to respond to the new demands and initiate the change process. Being vital for the survival of any society, it tends to go along with the technologies to guarantee people the high level of services. Nowadays, medical establishments and professionals use numerous technologies and devices to cure a patient and promote his/her fast recovery. Additionally, modern equipment and practices are also used to provide care and protect a person from some incidents. Telenursing belongs to the technologies of this sort.
Technology
The term implies the usage of various telecommunications and information technologies to provide the nursing services to people who are not able to use the traditional one because of various reasons. (Souze-Junior, Mendes, Mazzo, & Godoy, 2016). Nowadays, it is used for various purposes, such as homecare, consultations, etc. For instance, an immobilized patient could be visited by a nurse with the help of the Internet or traditional telephone. In this case, the technologies used to establish the connection between a nurse and a patient are not complicated, and the patient just has to start video conferencing using his/her web camera. Additionally, the same camera could be used to demonstrate the symptoms, wounds, or some other problematic issues. That is why the simplicity of the practice and the absence of the need for the new and expensive equipment promotes the increase of the popularity of telenursing.
The problem of rights
However, cogitating about the given issue, it is crucial to mention the legal aspect of the usage of telenursing and the rights a person and nurse have to use the procedure. There are many states in which the practice is forbidden because of its character and the absence of serious guarantees (Russell, 2012). The right of a person to obtain qualified medical services is the major concern related to telenursing. It means that the usage of the practice could be considered as dangerous in case the professional is not able to provide a patient with the appropriate services. This fact could be taken as the first serious disadvantage of the practice. For this reason, the adherents of telenursing insist on the necessity of a license which will guarantee the professionalism of a nurse and promote the improvement of the image of the procedure resulting in its spread.
Patients satisfaction
If to speak about the results of the usage of telenursing, it is crucial to investigate the key aspects related to it. The main goal of the procedure is to increase the efficiency of the healthcare sector and promote the growth of the patients satisfaction. The statistics show that the first experience of the usage of telenursing could be described as the positive one as the majority of patients were satisfied with the functioning of the service (Snooks et al., 2008). It could be taken as a great advantage. Patients also admitted its simplicity and availability. It became convenient for elderly or immobilized people who did not have to go to the hospital. Additionally, the patients highlighted the positive impact it has on their state because of the ability to connect with the specialist at any moment.
Yet, there also were some negative moments as using telenursing the specialists were not able to evaluate the state of a patient and perform the precise examination (Kawaguchi, Azuma, & Ohta, 2004). It could be taken as a serious problem and disadvantage. Yet, these facts evidence that the majority of patients are satisfied with the new practice; however, there are still some problems that have to be solved to improve the image of telenursing. Therefore, telenurses also show a greater degree of their job satisfaction and accept the positive impact of the given procedure on their performance (Snooks et al., 2008) which is taken as the significant advantage of the procedure.
Ethics
Another important concern related to the issue is ethics. The opponents of the implementation of the procedure underline the pernicious effect it has on the relations between a healthcare professional and patient. Traditionally, the face-to-face contact was given great importance as it helped to create the needed atmosphere and establish trustful relations between a patient and his/her nurse. The great disadvantage of telenursing is that excluding the given factor from the recovery proceeds, the healthcare sector exposes itself to the risk of the destruction of the image of a healthcare specialist and the loss of his/her significance. The mediated communication between a patient and a nurse could also promote the automation of the process and objectification of people using the given practice. The given approach is unacceptable under modern conditions. That is why there are still some ethical problems telenursing faces nowadays.
The efficiency of the procedure
Finally, the usage of the procedure is aimed at the significant improvement of the efficiency of the healthcare sector and the state of the health of patients. The statistical data evidences the positive impact of telenursing on the nurses showings. Using the traditional approach and in normal healthcare settings, a common nurse can consult from 5 to 7 patients per day, while using the given practice, the same nurse could help 12-16 patients (Snooks et al., 2008). It follows from this fact that the positive impact telenursing has on the healthcare sector is proved by various investigations and serves as its main advantage. Additionally, the usage of the practice to consult patients with chronic diseases helps to reduce the number of complications and office visits (Kawaguchi, Azuma, & Ohta, 2004). That is why it is possible to admit the high level of the efficiency of the given practice and its positive impact on the state of patients.
Conclusion and recommendations
Having analyzed the facts related to the issue of telenursing, I should accept the great significance of the procedure and its perspectives. It combines the usage of the new technologies with the traditional approach to nursing and promotes the further development of the given sphere. For these reasons, telenursing could be appreciated as the future of the healthcare sector as it provides several possibilities for further improvement and contributes to the increase in the level of satisfaction with the medical services. Additionally, the further development of technologies will introduce new significant changes to the image of nursing, making it more efficient. In this regard, I accept the idea that telenursing could be my future. This statement is proved by the fact that the procedure implies the usage of the newest practices and tools. This process demands a great level of skills from the specialist and promotes constant training. Being a professional, I am sure that my personal and professional growth will be conditioned by the further evolution of telenursing.
References
Kawaguchi, T., Azuma, M., & Ohta, K. (2004). Development of a telenursing system for patients with chronic conditions. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 10(4), 239-244. Web.
Russell, B. (2012). Professional call centres, professional workers and the paradox of the algorithm: the case of telenursing. Work Employment and Society, 26(2), 195-210, Web.
Snooks, H., Williams, A., Griffiths, L., Peconi, J., Rance, J., Snelgrove,…Cheung, W. (2008). Real nursing? The development of telenursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 61(6), 631-640. Web.
Souze-Junior, V., Mendes, I, Mazzo, A., & Godoy, S. (2016). Application of telenursing in nursing practice: an integrative literature review. Applied Nursing Research, 254-260. Web.