Knowledge and attitudes of nurses towards telenursing in cardiac care in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

TL;DR

This study examines Saudi nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward telenursing in cardiac care, finding room for improvement.

Contribution

The study provides insights into nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward telenursing in cardiac care in Saudi Arabia.

Findings

Most nurses had average knowledge of telenursing, with only 15.4% having good knowledge.

Nurses generally had positive attitudes toward telenursing.

Knowledge levels were significantly linked to age, education, and professional experience.

Abstract

Telenursing in cardiac care leverages technology to support self-care and optimize outcomes for heart failure patients during and beyond the pandemic. This study aims to explore nurse's knowledge and attitudes towards telenursing in cardiac care, examine the correlation between knowledge and attitude, and associate knowledge levels with selected demographic variables.

A cross-sectional study was conducted, and 149 nurses from Prince Sultan Cardiac Care Center hospitals were randomly selected. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire, including socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes about telenursing.

The mean age of the nurses was 36.17 ± 6.5 years. Most nurses (64.4%) held a bachelor's degree, with 71.8% working as staff nurses. Nearly half (47.6%) had 6–9 years of professional experience. Among them, 15.4% had good knowledge, 63.8% had average knowledge, and 20.8% had poor knowledge, with a total mean knowledge score of 14.92 ± 3.2. Overall, nurses had positive attitudes towards telenursing (p < 0.05). Knowledge scores were significantly associated with age, education, and professional experience (p < 0.05).

Strengthening nurse's understanding of telenursing is vital. Focused educational and training programs are imperative to enhance knowledge about telenursing in cardiac care and alleviate the healthcare system's economic burden.

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