Telehealth and Virtual Care: Benefits, Drawbacks, and the Nursing Role

Benefits of Virtual Care

Telehealth increases patient access (especially in remote areas), reduces costs (eliminating travel), offers scheduling convenience, and improves chronic disease management through regular monitoring and follow-ups (Wosik et al., 2020).

Drawbacks and Challenges

Challenges include technological difficulties, limited physical examination capabilities, security and privacy concerns, and reduced continuity of care when patients see different providers (Rutherford et al., 2020).

Advanced Nursing Role

ARNs provide primary care services, patient education, and chronic disease management guidance through telehealth platforms.

References

• Rutherford, E., et al. (2020). Benefits and drawbacks of virtual clinics. JMIR Perioperative Medicine, 3(1), e12491. https://periop.jmir.org/2020/1/e12491/
• Wosik, J., et al. (2020). Telehealth transformation: COVID-19 and virtual care. JAMIA, 27(6), 957-962. https://academic.oup.com/jamia/