Testing Telehealth Using Technology-Enhanced Nurse Monitoring

<p>Technology-enhanced nurse monitoring is a telehealth solution that helps nurses with assessment, diagnosis, and triage of older adults living in community-based settings. This technology links biometric and nonbiometric sensors to a data management system that is monitored remotely by RNs and unlicensed support staff. Nurses faced a number of challenges related to data interpretation, including making clinical inferences from nonbiometric data, integrating data generated by three different telehealth applications into a clinically meaningful cognitive framework, and figuring out how best to use nursing judgment to make valid inferences from online reporting systems. Nurses developed expertise over the course of the current study. The sponsoring organization achieved a high degree of organizational knowledge about how to use these systems more effectively. Nurses saw tremendous value in the telehealth applications. The challenges, learning curve, and organizational improvements are described. [<i>Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 40</i>(10),15–23.]</p><div class="ftAuthorNotes"><p>Dr. Grant is Associate Professor, Dr. Rockwood is Associate Professor, and Dr. Stennes is Project Coordinator, Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Grant is also Director, Center for Aging Services Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.</p><p>The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. This work was supported by the Rural Healthcare Program of the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.</p><p>Address correspondence to Leslie A. Grant, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, D262 Mayo Memorial Building, 420 Delaware Street S.E., Mayo Mail Code 510, Minneapolis, MN 55455; e-mail: [email protected].</p></div><div class="ftHistory-received"> Received: July 01, 2014</div><div class="ftHistory-accepted"> Accepted: February 02, 2014</div><div class="ftPubDate"> Posted Online: August 19, 2014</div>