Experiences of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receiving integrated telehealth nursing services during COVID-19 lockdown.

OBJECTIVE: Even though telemonitoring existed prior to COVID-19, the need was accelerated for patients with COPD due to the limited medical consultations and the anxiety for being infected. To our knowledge, no qualitative study has explored the experiences of COPD patients and the potential benefits of receiving integrated telehealth nursing services during the lockdown. METHODS: Ten participants were interviewed after receiving telehealth nursing services for 3 months; data was analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Irrespective of COPD severity, all participants expressed that the existing fragmented follow-up care was intensified during COVID. The telenursing services provided them with the comfort and reassurance that a clinician is available for support, advice, and care during the times of isolation. Despite diverse opinions regarding the respiratory-related questions for follow-up, all were enthusiastic about the use of the oximeter in their daily lives. None perceived sharing data as an issue, instead they encouraged the exchange across levels of care. CONCLUSION: Despite an appreciation for the service, it is imperative for sustainability reasons that standardized protocols are developed to balance patient preferences in terms of response frequency and the clinical data needed for a telenurse to provide appropriate interventions.

Patients' experiences of telenursing follow-up care after bariatric surgery.

AIM: To explore the postsurgical management experiences of bariatric patients after receiving telenursing follow-up care, using a telemonitoring platform for approximately 1 month. BACKGROUND: Obesity prevalence rates among adult Canadians are increasing, and as such the number of bariatric surgeries. Adapting to life following bariatric surgery is challenging, and patients are often experiencing difficulties to adhere to the postsurgical behavioural recommendations. The use of technology has been introduced in bariatric aftercare programmes, yet patients voiced a desire to communicate with a clinician between routine visits to improve continuity of care. To our knowledge, there is a lack of research on emerging practice of telenursing to provide monitoring, support and aftercare to bariatric patients remotely. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design was used. METHODS: A total of 22 semi-structured interviews were thematically analysed. The SRQR checklist was used. RESULTS: Participants embraced the idea of integrating telenursing care in bariatric aftercare programmes, as they viewed this novel approach to care as a way to overcome the current challenges of accessing bariatric services. The most salient benefit reported by participants was the timely advice and care provided by the telenurse. The provision of tailored nursing care and the accessibility to a first-line professional empowered participants to exercise greater control over their recovery process, which promotes self-management and enhances feelings of security and reassurance. Lastly, participants voiced areas of improvement to better the system and to render it most accessible and user-friendly. CONCLUSION: Despite its novelty in bariatric aftercare, our findings indicated that patients are eager to integrate telenursing in mainstream services. Discussions are needed regarding patient adherence to telemonitoring, and the need to develop clinical follow-up protocols. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Results provide new insights into the importance of a telenurse in providing individualised care to bariatric patients.