Purpose:  To determine if staff nurses perceive increased communication and collaboration with physicians within the context of evaluating the feasibility of a telemedicine wound care system.

As hospitals strive to attain Magnet designation, there is a renewed interest in fostering communication and collaboration among nurses and physicians.  Better communication and collaboration has been shown to improve patient outcomes.  Because new technology has been cited as a factor facilitating communication and collaboration among nurses and physicians, we sought to determine if staff nurses perceived increased communication and collaboration within the context of evaluating the feasibility of a telemedicine wound care system. Fifty inpatients with stage one or greater pressure ulcers were enrolled in the study.  Fifteen staff nurses trained in the study protocol serially assessed patients using the telemedicine system.  A Braden risk assessment score, wound measurements, and digital photographs were entered into a smart-phone system.  The information was then transmitted via high-speed wireless to a secure server.  The nurses completed technical and satisfaction surveys for each patient.

The overall impression regarding the feasibility of the telemedicine system was positive and significant; nurses' impression of enhanced nurse-physician collaboration (r=0.715; p=0.003) and communication (r= 0.668, p= 0.006), reported benefit to patients (r= 0.752; p=0.003), and quality of the image (r= 0.662; p=0.013).    An additional outcome was that the Clinical Nurse Specialist for Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Care identified the need for an on-line wound care team dialog box to further enhance physician-nurse communication and collaboration.

While telemedicine offers great potential for improving patient care, streamlining work flow, and reducing costs in wound care, the hidden benefit of enhancing communication and collaboration among nurses and physicians must be recognized and its impact further explored.