Telehealth Simulation and Education Impact on Student Knowledge

Background: One of the most recent improvements to the everchanging healthcare is telehealth. Telehealth is used by about 70% of healthcare providers across the United States. It is used to reach patient populations such as those in rural locations or with limited resources. Telehealth can improve patient outcomes and encourage quality patient care. However, many nursing schools include programs to educate students on the utilization of telehealth. Purpose: In undergraduate and graduate nursing school, do telehealth simulations and education improve student knowledge? Methods: A review of literature was completed using the databases: EBSCOhost, PubMed, and CINAHL. Key words searched included “nursing student, telehealth or telemedicine, knowledge, education.” Articles selected were written between the years of 2018 and 2022. Results: Telehealth education can greatly improve student knowledge and comfortability regarding telehealth. Many means of education can be incorporated into the curriculum but those that included a telehealth simulation led to positive student outcomes. Implications for Nursing Practice: Higher educational facilities for nursing students should incorporate telehealth education into their scheduled curriculum. This can lead to greater comfortability regarding telehealth. This will allow future nurses to easily adapt within the everchanging healthcare environment