Telehomecare as a Catalyst for a Multifaceted Transformation Towards Sustainable Practices: A Qualitative Study From a Practical Nurses' Perspective

Aim(s)

To explore how practical nurses perceive telehomecare in relation to sustainability.

Design

This study had a qualitative exploratory design.

Methods

Ten practical nurses working with telehomecare were interviewed in February–April 2024. The interviews were individual, semi-structured and were analysed through Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

The overarching theme of this study was ‘Telehomecare: A catalyst for a multifaceted transformation towards sustainable practices in homecare nursing’, with three main themes and seven subthemes. The three main themes were ‘Reshaped delivery of care’, ‘Reformed work environment’ and ‘Reallocated resources'. The findings reveal that nurses have multifaceted perspectives on telehomecare in relation to sustainability, recognising both its positive and negative impacts on healthcare organisations, nurses and clients while also acknowledging that more sustainable practices demand significant changes in the healthcare environment.

Conclusion

Telehomecare has significant impacts on multiple dimensions of sustainability within healthcare and notable drawbacks. These findings emphasise the critical need for comprehensive education and training in sustainable digital work practices to enhance healthcare professionals' awareness of environmental impacts. This underscores the importance of transformative leadership that drives organisational change towards sustainable healthcare practices and implements effective sustainability policies.

Impact

The findings present some aspects of telehomecare that contribute to a lesser environmental impact from a nursing care perspective, encouraging healthcare leaders to make conscious and effective strategic decisions towards more sustainable healthcare. The findings strengthen nurses, leaders and policymakers' knowledge and awareness of sustainable nursing activities in the digital milieu, highlighting the urgent need for transformation of healthcare practices to decrease the environmental impact.