Discoveries and insights from implementing telehealth in a tele-acute unit: A retrospective study

Objective: This study examines the impact of telehealth nursing interventions on length of stay (LOS) and ratio of LOS to risk-adjusted length of stay comparing tele-acute and traditional units.Methods: Retrospective data from 6,999 patient visits at tele-acute and traditional hospital units between Q2 2020 and Q4 2022 were collected. Bivariate analysis and the Mann-Whitney U Test were used to determine statistical significance. Multivariate regression was conducted to analyze the factors affecting both LOS and the ratio.Results: Regardless of the model, the findings suggest that LOS was greater in the traditional unit. In the LOS model, the stay was 7 hours and 39 minutes longer per admission in the traditional unit. In the risk-adjusted ratio model, the LOS was 5 hours and 14 minutes longer per admission than in the tele-acute unit.Conclusions: This study contributes to a body of literature that is lacking in the use of telehealth nursing in the acute care setting. Our research offers new perspectives on how telehealth can affect operational measures like LOS and discharge times. This contribution is important as it broadens the scope of telehealth’s benefits beyond traditional remote care, highlighting its potential in fast-paced, acute care settings.