Night Shift Nursing: A Telehealth Trial in Rural Quebec

In Quebec, small long-term care facilities, particularly those in rural areas, face a big problem: not enough nurses during night shifts. This shortage can make resident care unsafe and of poor quality. To fix this, some places have started using on-call phone services to always have a nurse available. The government's health department, knowing the struggle, launched a teleconsultation pilot project. This project lets nurses and assistants talk to residents and their families over video calls. The goal is to make sure every resident gets the care they need, even at night. But how do the nurses and assistants feel about this? A recent study used interviews to find out. Most of them said it helped them work better and made residents happier. They could talk to residents and their families more easily. However, there were some problems. Some nurses said they felt disconnected from residents because they couldn't see them in person. Others had trouble with the technology. Despite these issues, most thought teleconsultation was a good idea. This study shows that teleconsultation can be a big help in rural areas. But it also shows that there are challenges to overcome. With more training and better technology, teleconsultation could be even more useful.