Tele Nursing to Optimize Discharge Planning for Elderly Patients and Ensure Continuity of Home Care during COVID-19 Pandemic

Mohamed, Noha Ahmed; Mohamed, Hayam Ahmed; Hafez, Sameer Hamdy

doi:10.21608/niles.2022.197285

Tele Nursing to Optimize Discharge Planning for Elderly Patients and Ensure Continuity of Home Care during COVID-19 Pandemic

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant professor at department of Community Health Nursing Faculty of Nursing, Beni-Suef University, Egypt

² Assistant professor at Medical Surgical Nursin Department, Faculty of Nursing, Benha University, Egypt

³ Lecturer at Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing Beni-Suef University, Egypt

10.21608/niles.2022.197285

Abstract

Tele-nursing has a great contribution to ensure continuity of care for older adults following hospitalization. Thepresent study aimed to assess the efficacy of tele-nursing services to optimize discharge planning and ensure continuity of home care during COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A quasi experimental design was used. A convenience sample was used to include72 patients and their care givers. Tools: three tools were used; tool (I): Structured questionnaires composed of three parts; part1: Socio-demographic characteristics of the patients and the care givers, part 2: Care givers' knowledge about the diseases, part3: Care givers' performance. The second tool was Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI) used to assess burden of care givers. The third tool was self-efficacy for managing chronic diseases scale. The main results indicated that; the total level of knowledge, performance and level of burden of elderly patient' care givers in intervention group are improved significantly more than the control group. The self-efficacy of elderly patients in intervention group is improved significantly more than the elderly patients in the control group Conclusion: Tele-nursing strategy is an effective caring method to ensure continuity of home care for older adults following discharge from hospital during COVID-19 pandemic. Recommendations: Further studies aimed at improving patient awareness using tele-nursing strategies, empowering their caregivers and assess uses of tele-nursing in other nursing fields.

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