Nursing Star Trek Style

Oftentimes, the most critical causes of disparities related to obstetrical outcomes in rural areas are long travel distances to clinics (Ziller, Lenardson, & Coburn, 2011), a decreased percentage of insured women (Ziller et al., 2011), and increased rates of poverty (Larson, Murowchick, & Hart, 2008), which all contribute to the overall problem of rural residents’ lack of access to care.  

During pregnancy when a woman’s health may be compromised through complications, these barriers and limited access to care are compounded. Women with complicated pregnancies who live in rural areas have limited access to obstetrical providers or specialized providers, such as maternal fetal medicine specialists or neonatologists (Bailey & Cole, 2009). Currently, more than 25% of all women of childbearing age have a chronic illness. Should they become pregnant, more specialized care would be needed than the family practice doctor who delivers infants at the local rural hospital. Through telehealth, rural and urban health care providers alike can help bridge the gap and improve access to care for pregnant women and neonates (Bronstein et al., 2011; Magann et al., 2011). 

Successful telemedicine teams require a champion to implement, grow and sustain the program. The nurse is an essential part of this important and growing public health tool. It is expensive, time consuming, and sometimes dangerous to transport patients multiple times from their rural community to a specialist in an urban area. A clinical nurse who is trained in telemedicine can support a telemedicine program that brings the healthcare team to the patient in true patient and family centered style.