Boissy, P., Corriveau, H., Michaud, F., Labonté, D., & Royer, M. P. (2007). A qualitative study of in-home robotic telepresence for home care of community-living elderly subjects. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 13(2), 79-84.
- Background. We examined the requirements for robots in home telecare using two focus groups. The first comprised six healthcare professionals involved in geriatric care and the second comprised six elderly people with disabilities living in the community. The concept of an in-home telepresence robot was illustrated using a photograph of a mobile robot, and participants were then asked to suggest potential health care applications.
- Methods. Interview data derived from the transcript of each group discussion were analyzed using qualitative induction based on content analysis. The analyses yielded statements that were categorized under three themes: potential applications, usability issues and user requirements.
- Results. Teleoperated mobile robotic systems in the home were thought to be useful in assisting multidisciplinary patient care through improved communication between patients and healthcare professionals, and offering respite and support to caregivers under certain conditions.
- Conclusion. The shift from a traditional hospital-centred model of care in geriatrics to a home-based model creates opportunities for using telepresence with mobile robotic systems in home telecare.
The roles of nurses have changed significantly since the introduction of innovative technological tools and devices into the context of healthcare and nursing. Specifically, the opportunity to promote patient education more actively and advocate for the rights and needs of patients from diverse backgrounds has emerged. In the article under analysis, the importance of virtual visits as one of the most innovative solutions to providing outpatient care is discussed. According to the authors, the introduction of virtual visits allows extending nursing services to the home setting, therefore, allowing for a faster recuperation process (). Although virtual visits, particularly, those performed with the help of robotic telepresence, could be seen as insufficient for providing full-fledged professional assistance in case of need, it does offer an opportunity for a prompt response and an immediate transfer of the patient to the clinical setting in case of a health issue occurring at home. Therefore, the article should be credited for outlining the changes in the role of a nurse as that one of an educator and the facilitator of patient independence.
Adenuga, K. I., Iahad, N. A., & Miskon, S. (2020). Telemedicine system: Service adoption and implementation issues in Nigeria. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 13(12), 1321-1327.
- Background. The study seeks to understand why there is a wide gap in the telemedicine service implementation and adoption in Nigeria, the existing evidence shows that less than 5% of such hospital information systems has been utilized in a country of more than 180 million people. Methods. We applied in-depth semi-structured interviews approach such that the opinions of clinicians were sampled at two government hospitals in Nigeria to identify other principal users’ attributes affecting telemedicine implementation adoption from clinicians’ perspectives.
- Results. The combination of the factors from literature and thematic analysis led to the formulation of telemedicine service adoption framework that highlights telemedicine implementation issues.
- Conclusion: The outcome of the study led to the establishment of a telemedicine implementation framework and recommendations for a feasible and sustainable telemedicine service adoption for clinicians in Nigeria.
Introducing a quantitative perspective on the issue of remote visits and telehealth in the nursing context, the article under analysis proves the fact that the role of a nurse is gradually changing in th modern healthcare context. Namely, instead of providing unceasing supervision with constant physical presence, thus, being tethered to a single patient, nurses are capable of managing the needs of a much larger group. Consequently, the range of responsibilities and roles that nurses accept in the target setting has expanded, beginning to include administrative and educational functions. Namely, nurses tend to spend a substantial amount of time educating patients about their needs and the means of responding to them. The article provides an insightful look into the changes in the functions of a nurse while assessing the benefits of telemedicine.