Community Nurses and the Use of Telemedicine Platforms to Enhance Community Health Services: a Systematic Review
Keywords:
community nursing, elemedicine, community health services, systematic reviewAbstract
The role of community nurses is crucial to the delivery of effective community health services. The advancement of telemedicine platforms has opened new avenues for improving service provision. This systematic review aimed to examine and analyze the roles of community nurses in utilizing telemedicine platforms, as well as the outcomes, challenges, and contextual factors associated with their use. The findings of this study were intended to inform policy recommendations that support the effective and sustainable implementation of telemedicine in community health settings. A literature search was conducted for articles published between 2019 and 2024. Of 69 articles initially identified, 13 met the inclusion criteria based on relevance, methodological rigor, and strength of evidence. These 13 studies were then analyzed and synthesized. The review found that community nurses primarily used telemedicine platforms to improve the efficiency of chronic disease monitoring and expand access to health services, particularly in remote areas with limited resources. Community nurses played key roles in providing health counseling, monitoring, and care coordination to ensure continuity of care. The use of telemedicine by community nurses was shown to enhance the quality of health services, improve access, reduce hospital congestion,and minimize patient travel time and expenses. It also enabled more precise and patient-centered care planning and fostered greater engagement of patients and their families. These outcomes offer a valuable foundation for policy formulation, the development of community health systems, and the advancement of community nursing competencies. However, several limitations and challenges remain, including internet accessibility in rural areas, workforce readiness to adopt technology, government support, and infrastructure development. Addressing these factors is essential to optimizing the use of telemedicine platforms in community healthcare.
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