Telenursing with elderly people in home care service during the COVID-19 pandemic: quasi-experimental study^*

Abstract

Objective:

to evaluate telenursing as a support technology in the transition of care for elderly people and their caregivers in the context of home care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method:

quasi-experimental before-after, non-randomized study, with 219 elderly people and caregivers from the home care service, divided into 131 in the intervention groups and 88 in the control group. Analytical treatment, descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out.

Results:

1691 calls were made, 1515 to the intervention group and 176 to the control group. It was observed that in the first call there is a greater need for interventions to promote health and this quantity decreases throughout the calls with a significant result (p-value < 0.001). The outcomes analyzed were hospitalization, death, discharge or continuation of the home care service and it was observed that the chance of discharge from the service was nine times greater in the intervention group. Continuity of care from the home care service and discharge after the end of the calls were also significant (p-value < 0.001).

Conclusion:

telenursing was a technology to support care, mainly for health promotion and discharge from home care services.

Descriptors:
Telenursing; COVID-19; Home Care Services; Health of the Elderly; Caregivers; Health Informatics

Highlights:

(1) Telenursing contributes to the transition process of care during a pandemic scenario and for the elderly.

(2) Discharge from home care service was nine times higher in the intervention group.

(3) Reduction in the number of interventions throughout the application of telenursing.

(4) Accessible and easy-to-use technology applied to both the elderly and the caregiver.

(5) Liaison/intervention instrument based on nursing theory and process.