Abstract
Purpose statement: The purpose of this project is to educate the future nursing workforce on tele-healthcare delivery skills that will reduce barriers to care and improve rural chronic illness outcomes in Wisconsin.
Background: Nearly one-third of Wisconsin citizens reside in rural areas (Wisconsin Policy Forum, 2023). Rural Wisconsinites are disproportionately at risk for adverse health outcomes (Rural Health Information Hub, 2023). A lack of available healthcare services and providers in rural Wisconsin compounds this risk. All non-metropolitan counties in Wisconsin experience a shortage of primary care providers (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2023). Nurse-supported telehealth services provide a potential solution. However, there is a gap in the knowledge and skills needed for effective telehealth implementation (Galpin et al., 2021).
Design: Nursing students complete didactic education and simulations designed by the project team to gain competence in providing direct care to underserved rural populations. Students then work directly with clinical staff in rural homes as part of an academic practice partnership. Educational infrastructure created by the project is shared with the clinical organization. Between July-December 2024, 107 nursing students and 161 clients were impacted by the project.
Evaluation: Client perceptions of the student home care interaction and general perceptions of telehealth/technology are measured through a post-visit survey. Student satisfaction is measured through surveys and journal entries. Interviews gather preceptor perceptions of experience.
Findings: Client surveys were collected from 78 patients and 6 family members during the first 6 months of implementation. Mean responses indicated (1 least positive-5 most positive) clients felt students prepared them to use telehealth (m=4.3) and were generally satisfied with the session (m=4.19). Clients also felt that telehealth could save them time (m=4.24), increase access (m=4.19), and address their health needs (m=4.16). Perceptions surrounding comfort with technology use were less favorable, including comfort communicating with the nurse using technology (m=3.82), liking telehealth (m=3.73), using apps (m=3.44), troubleshooting (m=3.26), and using video chat (m=3.09).
Implications: This project engages the university with existing industry resources to reach into rural regions of the state and address barriers in communities impacted by chronic disease.
Notes
References:
Galpin, K., Sikka, N., King, S. L., Horvath, K. A., Shipman, S. A., & AAMC Telehealth Advisory Committee (2021). Expert consensus: Telehealth skills for health care professionals. Telemedicine Journal and e-Health: The Official Journal of the American Telemedicine Association, 27(7), 820–824. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2020.0420
Rural Health Information Hub (2022). Wisconsin. Retrieved from
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/states/wisconsin
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2022). Best Practice Guides – Telehealth. Retrieved from https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/best-practice-guides
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2023). Health Workforce Shortage Areas. Retrieved from https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areas
Wisconsin Policy Forum (2023, June). Why is Wisconsin’s rural population growth outpacing the Midwest? Wisconsin Policy Forum. Retrieved from https://wispolicyforum.org/research/why-is-wisconsins-rural-population-growth-outpacing-the-midwest/
Sigma Membership
Eta Pi
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Academic-clinical Partnership, Curriculum Development, Workforce, Nursing Education, Advances in Education, Tele-health, Rural Areas
Recommended Citation
Abrahamson, Kathleen; Walrath, Debbie; Brickner, Shanon; Davidson, Christine; Hansen, Heidi; and Chung, Seon Yoon, "Technology, Education, Access, Communities and Healthcare: TEACH toward a Healthy Rural Wisconsin" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 73.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/73
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Publisher-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-06
Funder(s)
University of Wisconsin
Technology, Education, Access, Communities and Healthcare: TEACH toward a Healthy Rural Wisconsin
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Purpose statement: The purpose of this project is to educate the future nursing workforce on tele-healthcare delivery skills that will reduce barriers to care and improve rural chronic illness outcomes in Wisconsin.
Background: Nearly one-third of Wisconsin citizens reside in rural areas (Wisconsin Policy Forum, 2023). Rural Wisconsinites are disproportionately at risk for adverse health outcomes (Rural Health Information Hub, 2023). A lack of available healthcare services and providers in rural Wisconsin compounds this risk. All non-metropolitan counties in Wisconsin experience a shortage of primary care providers (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2023). Nurse-supported telehealth services provide a potential solution. However, there is a gap in the knowledge and skills needed for effective telehealth implementation (Galpin et al., 2021).
Design: Nursing students complete didactic education and simulations designed by the project team to gain competence in providing direct care to underserved rural populations. Students then work directly with clinical staff in rural homes as part of an academic practice partnership. Educational infrastructure created by the project is shared with the clinical organization. Between July-December 2024, 107 nursing students and 161 clients were impacted by the project.
Evaluation: Client perceptions of the student home care interaction and general perceptions of telehealth/technology are measured through a post-visit survey. Student satisfaction is measured through surveys and journal entries. Interviews gather preceptor perceptions of experience.
Findings: Client surveys were collected from 78 patients and 6 family members during the first 6 months of implementation. Mean responses indicated (1 least positive-5 most positive) clients felt students prepared them to use telehealth (m=4.3) and were generally satisfied with the session (m=4.19). Clients also felt that telehealth could save them time (m=4.24), increase access (m=4.19), and address their health needs (m=4.16). Perceptions surrounding comfort with technology use were less favorable, including comfort communicating with the nurse using technology (m=3.82), liking telehealth (m=3.73), using apps (m=3.44), troubleshooting (m=3.26), and using video chat (m=3.09).
Implications: This project engages the university with existing industry resources to reach into rural regions of the state and address barriers in communities impacted by chronic disease.
Description
This project addresses the gap in knowledge and skills needed for effective telehealth delivery. Students work directly with clinical staff in rural homes as part of an academic practice partnership. Project outcomes are measured through client surveys, student journals, and preceptor interviews. Client surveys indicate comfort with telehealth and less comfort with technology. Analyses focus on understanding the barriers to telehealth adaptation in rural areas, including workforce readiness.