The Impact of Digital Health Transformation Driven by COVID-19 on Nursing Practice: Systematic Literature Review.
Robab Abdolkhani, Sacha Petersen, Ruby Walter and 3 others
PMID 35867838WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses reported positive attitudes toward telehealth but struggled with poor connectivity, lack of training, and inability to perform physical exams.
Most studies focused on general workflows rather than specific nursing needs, leaving gaps in how digital tools impact patient safety and care quality.
Key findings
01Only 4 of the 21 included studies specifically examined nurses' own views and experiences, while the rest included nurses but did not differentiate their responses from other health care providers.
02Lack of training and poor connectivity were primary barriers, leading to burnout and concerns about missing critical patient information or being unable to assess risks like domestic violence.
03Nurses reported that telehealth hindered basic care skills such as reassuring patients and conducting physical examinations, reducing the holistic picture of patient status.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review was limited to English-language papers and studies published between January 2020 and November 2021, potentially missing earlier or non-English research. Most included studies did not differentiate nurses' responses from those of other health care providers, making it difficult to isolate nursing-specific experiences. The rapid evolution of digital health during the pandemic means findings may not reflect current practices or technologies.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that positive attitudes toward telehealth in this review equate to clinical efficacy or safety. Most studies did not isolate nurses' experiences from other providers, and the review explicitly notes that telehealth often hinders basic nursing skills like physical assessment and risk detection.