NURSE AND PATIENT REACTIONS TO A DEVELOPMENTAL HOME TELECARE SYSTEM

Pilot studies have suggested that telemedicine is a satisfactory means of delivering nursing services into the home. A home telecare program me in Kansas provided nursing services to homes in four towns in Kansa s. The present study examined patients' and nurses' perceptions of a v ariety of issues related to home telecare. Data-collection methods inc luded in-depth interviews, observation and analyses of archival data f rom patient records. Patients suffered an average of 4.6 concurrent il lnesses. On the whole, patients perceived the system as a valuable res ource that offered great potential, although many saw no immediate hea lth benefits for themselves. Nurses were enthusiastic about the prospe ct of practising in this way, although they did have strong opinions a bout what types of nurses, patients and illnesses were suited to telem edicine.