• Roberta Kaplow and Mary Zellinger.
• Roberta Kaplow is a clinical nurse specialist at Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Am. J. Crit. Care. 2021 Mar 1; 30 (2): 122-127.

BackgroundWith telemedicine technology, off-site expert clinicians can consult in real time with bedside nurses and providers. The success of telemedicine may depend on its acceptance by bedside nurses and providers.ObjectivesTo compare nurses' perceptions of telemedicine in 2 intensive care units (ICUs) at Emory University Hospital, an academic medical center, and to determine the relation between nurses' years of ICU experience and their perceptions of telemedicine in the hospital's ICUs (Emory e-ICU Center).MethodsThis study used a descriptive correlational design. Nurses in the 2 units completed a demographic form and a questionnaire about their perceptions of the Emory e-ICU Center.ResultsA total of 60 participants completed the study (30 nurses from each unit). Among the entire sample, the perception scores ranged from 2.4 to 5.0, with a mean score of 3.8 (SD, 0.6). Perception scores were significantly higher for nurses in the acute respiratory ICU than for those in the cardiovascular ICU; nurses in the acute respiratory ICU had spent less time working in an ICU. No statistically significant correlation was found between nurses' years of experience in an ICU and their perception scores. This correlation was also not significant within each unit. Nurses' experience with telemedicine in the ICU also did not correlate significantly with perception scores.ConclusionsDespite differences in nurses' years of experience, the perceptions of the Emory e-ICU Center did not differ significantly among nurses.©2021 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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