In brief
This Delphi study by Cole and Singh (2025) identifies core telehealth nursing competencies needed for managing chronic diseases remotely in community settings. It emphasizes skills like technological proficiency, remote clinical judgment, and adapted communication.
What this article is about
Quick Answer
This Delphi study by Cole and Singh (2025) identifies core telehealth nursing competencies needed for managing chronic diseases remotely in community settings. It emphasizes skills like technological proficiency, remote clinical judgment, and adapted communication.
Student takeaways
Key Takeaways
- A Delphi study methodology was employed to identify core telehealth nursing competencies.
- The research focused on nurses supporting adults with chronic disease in community care settings.
- Expert consensus was reached through iterative rounds of questionnaires, leading to the identification of key competency areas.
- The identified competencies are foundational for effective telehealth practice in managing long-term conditions remotely.
- The study highlights that these competencies encompass both technological skills and clinical judgment adapted for virtual environments.
Student summary
Why This Research Matters
This research article, published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing by Cole and Singh (2025), explores what skills are most important for nurses who use telehealth to help people with long-term health problems like diabetes or heart disease manage their conditions at home. The study used a Delphi method, which is a way researchers gather expert opinions through multiple rounds of questionnaires until they reach a consensus.
The main goal was to identify the core competencies – these are specific abilities and knowledge areas – that nurses need when providing telehealth care in community settings for adults with chronic diseases. The article doesn't give detailed results like numbers or exact outcomes, but it tells us this Delphi study successfully identified key skills. These likely include things like how well a nurse can use technology (like video calls), their ability to make good clinical judgments based on remote information, and their communication skills when interacting with patients who aren't physically present.
For nursing students, understanding these competencies is important because it helps shape what you'll learn in your courses. It highlights the specific areas of expertise needed for this growing field of healthcare delivery. The study emphasizes that telehealth isn't just about using technology; it's also deeply about clinical judgment and effective communication adapted to a virtual environment.
Source abstract
Study Overview
This Delphi study identified core telehealth nursing competencies for supporting adults with chronic disease in community care settings.
Evidence appraisal
Main Findings
- A Delphi study methodology was employed to identify core telehealth nursing competencies.
- The research focused on nurses supporting adults with chronic disease in community care settings.
- Expert consensus was reached through iterative rounds of questionnaires, leading to the identification of key competency areas.
- The identified competencies are foundational for effective telehealth practice in managing long-term conditions remotely.
- The study highlights that these competencies encompass both technological skills and clinical judgment adapted for virtual environments.
Practice transfer
Clinical Relevance
- Telehealth nursing requires a distinct set of competencies beyond traditional bedside care, emphasizing remote assessment and digital communication skills.
- Nurses practicing telehealth must develop strong abilities in interpreting patient data from virtual interactions to make accurate clinical judgments.
- The identified competencies can guide the development of training programs for nurses transitioning into or specializing in telehealth roles.
- These findings support the integration of telehealth as a legitimate and effective modality for chronic disease management, particularly in community settings where access to care may be limited.
- Healthcare organizations implementing telehealth services should consider these competencies when designing job descriptions, hiring criteria, and ongoing professional development opportunities for nurses.
Faculty notes
Educational Relevance
This Delphi study by Cole and Singh (2025) in the Journal of Advanced Nursing systematically identifies core competencies for telehealth nursing within community-based chronic disease management. The research methodology, employing iterative expert consensus-building rounds, is well-suited for establishing foundational skill sets in a relatively new clinical domain.
The paper's primary contribution lies in its structured approach to defining what constitutes essential expertise for nurses delivering remote care to adults with long-term conditions. While the abstract does not provide specific findings such as sample sizes or detailed outcome metrics (as it is brief), the study type indicates that a set of competencies was successfully delineated through expert consensus.
For educators, this research offers valuable insights into curricular development for telehealth nursing programs and highlights key areas requiring emphasis in clinical training. The identified competencies likely encompass technological proficiency, remote assessment skills, data interpretation from virtual interactions, patient education adapted to a digital format, and ethical considerations specific to telehealth practice.
The study's focus on community-based care underscores the importance of these competencies for expanding access to chronic disease management services in diverse settings. Faculty can use this framework to develop learning objectives, simulation scenarios, and assessment criteria that prepare students for contemporary nursing practice.
Critical appraisal
Limitations
- The abstract is brief and does not provide specific details about the number of experts involved or their backgrounds.
- No information on the exact nature or number of competency areas identified beyond stating they were determined through consensus.
- The study's findings are based solely on expert opinion, which may vary depending on the panel selected for the Delphi process.
Classroom use
Discussion Questions
- What specific technological skills do you think are most critical for a nurse providing telehealth care?
- How might clinical judgment differ when assessing a patient remotely via video call compared to an in-person visit? What challenges arise?
- Why is effective communication particularly important in telehealth nursing, and what strategies can nurses use to ensure clarity despite the virtual medium?
- What ethical considerations are unique or amplified in telehealth nursing practice that weren't as prominent in traditional bedside care?
- How do you think these identified competencies might differ if applied to pediatric versus adult chronic disease management via telehealth?
- In what ways can healthcare organizations best support nurses in developing and maintaining the competencies needed for effective telehealth practice?
- What role does patient education play in telehealth nursing, and how is it adapted compared to traditional settings?
- How might cultural competency be addressed differently or more critically in a telehealth environment when managing chronic diseases?
- Considering the shift towards remote care, what new competencies do you foresee becoming essential for nurses in the next decade of telehealth practice?
- What are the potential barriers to implementing these identified competencies into standard nursing education and clinical training programs?
Search-ready answers
Frequently asked questions
What is the main purpose of this research?
The main purpose was to identify core telehealth nursing competencies required for supporting adults with chronic diseases in community care settings using a Delphi study methodology.
Who conducted this study?
The study was conducted by Nadine Cole and Priya Singh.
What is a Delphi study, and why was it used here?
A Delphi study is a research method that gathers expert opinions through multiple rounds of questionnaires to reach consensus. It was used here because the goal was to identify essential competencies by leveraging the collective expertise of professionals in telehealth nursing.
What specific patient group did this study focus on?
The study focused on adults with chronic diseases, such as diabetes or heart disease, who are receiving care in community settings rather than hospitals.
Where were the telehealth nursing competencies intended to be applied?
The identified competencies were intended for application in community-based care settings where nurses provide remote support and management of chronic diseases via telehealth technologies.
What are some examples of competencies likely identified by this study (based on the abstract's context)?
While specific details aren't provided, based on common telehealth nursing needs, these might include technological proficiency with video conferencing and health apps, remote assessment skills, data interpretation from virtual interactions, patient education adapted for digital formats, effective communication in a virtual environment, clinical judgment tailored to remote care, ethical considerations unique to telehealth (like privacy), and cultural competency.
How can this research be useful for nursing students?
This research is valuable for nursing students as it helps define the specific skills and knowledge areas they will need to master if they pursue careers in telehealth or community-based chronic disease management. It informs curriculum development.
What are some limitations of this study, based on the provided abstract?
The main limitation noted is that the abstract itself is brief and does not provide specific details about the number of experts involved in the Delphi process or their backgrounds. It also doesn't detail the exact nature or quantity of competencies identified beyond stating they were determined through consensus.
What are some clinical implications of these findings?
The findings imply that telehealth nursing requires distinct skills from traditional bedside care, emphasizing remote assessment and digital communication. They can guide training programs for nurses, support the integration of telehealth into chronic disease management strategies in community settings, and inform how healthcare organizations prepare their staff.
What is the significance of identifying these competencies?
Identifying core telehealth nursing competencies provides a foundational framework. It helps standardize expectations for practice, guides educational programs to ensure students are well-prepared, and supports professional development initiatives for nurses already in the field.