Textbook: Handbook of Informatics for Nurses & Healthcare Professionals 5th edition
Telenursing�the Future Is Now Paper
Guidelines and Grading Rubric
PURPOSE
The purpose of this assignment is to explore the specialty of telenursing as one example of the use of technology in

various practice settings. Advantages and disadvantages for the patient and legal and ethical principles for the

nurse of this technology will be explored.
COURSE OUTCOMES
This assignment enables the student to meet the following course outcomes:
CO #2: Investigate safeguards and decision-making support tools embedded in patient care technologies and information

systems to support a safe practice environment for both patients and healthcare workers. (PO #4)
CO #6: Discuss the principles of data integrity, professional ethics, and legal requirements related to data

security, regulatory requirements, confidentiality, and client�s right to privacy. (PO #6)
POINTS
This assignment is worth a total of 200 points.
DUE DATE
Your completed Telenursing�the Future Is Now paper is due at the end of Week 4. Submit it to the basket in the

Dropbox by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. mountain time. Post your questions to the weekly Q & A Forum. Contact your instructor

if you need additional assistance. See the Course Policies regarding late assignments. Failure to submit your paper

to the Dropbox on time will result in a deduction of points.
BACKGROUND
Our text (Hebda, 2013) provides us with a broad perspective on telehealth. However, the specialty of telenursing is

only briefly discussed. Healthcare is readily embracing any technology to improve patient outcomes, streamline

operations, and lower costs. This technology includes the use of various applications based in various environments

where registered nurses indirectly provide professional nursing care.
SCENARIO
The following scenario serves as the basis for your paper:
Manuel, one of your colleagues, is considering leaving his medical-surgical position where both of you have worked

for the past 12 years. In fact, he has an interview in two weeks for a Telenurse Specialist position at a nurse-owned

home health agency. This agency monitors the elderly and those with chronic illnesses to keep them from being

readmitted to the hospital. Manuel is doing some research on his own and knows that the hours sound great and the pay

is comparable. One advantage is that he can work from home (telecommute) most of the time and only interface with the

agency for required meetings.
Manuel knows you are enrolled in this course. You have discussed various concepts that you noted in your Syllabus

including technology, privacy, confidentiality, interoperability, legal and ethical issues, and patients� access to

the World Wide Web, just to name a few. Manuel has shared that he does not know much about telehealth and the role of

nursing in this �new� technology. He has asked you to educate him on the advantages and disadvantages to patients of

telenursing. Frankly, he does not understand what he might be doing on a day-to-day basis. One concern is the

technology that may be involved.
Manuel has indicated that he realizes the final decision about a career move will be his choice, but he is seeking

your knowledge based on concepts presented in this course. He wants to be knowledgeable about the role of the

professional nurse in this practice setting prior to his interview.
You tell Manuel that you will need to do some research and that you will get back to him about your conclusion and

recommendation. You have heard of telenursing and how it can prevent patients with COPD (chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease) and CHF (congestive heart failure) from being readmitted to the hospital, but you recognize that

you will need to do much more investigation.
DIRECTIONS
1. You are to research (find evidence), compose, and type a scholarly paper based on the scenario described above.

Reflect on what you have learned in this class to date about technology, privacy rights, ethical issues,

interoperability, patient satisfaction, consumer education, and other topics. Your text by Hebda (2013, Chapter 25)

discusses telehealth in detail. However, your focus should be on the professional nurse�s role in telehealth, such as

telenursing. Therefore, do not limit your review of the literature to your text. Nurses in various specialties need

to know about the advantages and disadvantages of telenursing as it applies to their patients. For example, when you

discharge a patient from an acute care setting, will a telenursing service assist that individual with staying out of

the hospital? You may need to apply critical thinking skills to development of your paper.
2. Use Microsoft Word and APA formatting to develop your paper. Consult the Publication manual of the APA, 6th

edition if you have questions, for example, margin size, font type and size (point), use of third person, and so

forth. Take advantage of the writing service, Smarthinking, which is accessed by clicking on the link called the

Tutor Source, found under the Course Home tab. Also, review and use the various documents in Doc Sharing related to

APA.
3. The length of the paper should be 4�5 pages, excluding the title page and the reference page. Limit your

references to key sources.
4. The paper should contain an Introduction that catches the attention of the reader with interesting facts and

supporting sources of evidence, which need to be mentioned as in-text citations. The Body should present the

advantages and disadvantages of telenursing from a patient perspective. The Conclusion and Recommendations should

summarize your findings and state your position on whether Manuel should accept the position should it be offered to

him.