Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring Innovations in Nursing Practice: State of the Science

Abstract

Thrust forward by the COVID-19 crisis, with accompanying consumer and legislative pressure, telehealth has now become part of the standard of care. Telehealth and an adjunct tool, Remote Patient Monitoring, use the latest technological advancements to improve both access to and the quality of care. When used together, a powerful venue for a data-rich patient-provider encounter transpires. The method for this state of the science article included review of recent academic and gray literature to identify the breadth and depth of nurse-led innovations using these tools. Results of this rapid review of literature indicate that innovations reported in the gray literature surpass those in the academic literature in both volume and scope. Each article discussed is illustrative of the Nursing Now Challenge Global Solution Initiative (NNCGSI) which is designed to facilitate nurse-led large-scale change. The discussion asserts that nursing innovations in telehealth and RPM are understudied in the peer-reviewed literature. In conclusion, findings of this rapid review suggest that the state of the telehealth and RPM scientific literature is in its infancy.