Open AccessInvestigating the Educational Needs of Nurses in Telepractice: A Descriptive Exploratory Study
Author(s) -
Lorraine Carter,
Shirlene Hudyma,
Judith Horrigan
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
canadian journal of university continuing education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0318-9090
DOI - 10.21225/d5rp4b
Subject(s) - telehealth , context (archaeology) , exploratory research , nursing , specialty , psychology , continuing education , descriptive research , medical education , health care , medicine , telemedicine , family medicine , sociology , paleontology , social science , anthropology , economics , biology , economic growth
Although some nursing bodies have recognized nursing telepractice as a specialty, with its own knowledge, skills, and attitudes, there is little documented evidence of the education- al needs of Canadian nurses working in tele- health. However, now that telehealth has been recognized as a partial solution to Canada’s health-care challenges, the area requires our attention as educators. This article is based on a study that explored the educational needs of 138 telehealth nurses practising across Canada; participants included nurses from most of the provinces and territories. The nurses were asked to complete a series of open-ended questions related to their educational needs and practice, and the data were analyzed using the methods of Miles and Huberman (1994). The study findings are discussed in the context of continuing education.