A Middle-Range Theory of Telehealth Use for Disease Prevention

Telehealth technologies are important tools to improve health and well-being. However, absent from the literature is a comprehensive theoretical framework that directly connects telehealth use with preventive self-care behaviors. The proposed middle-range theory of telehealth use for disease prevention, derived from Orem's theory of self-care, bridges the gap between telehealth use to self-care behaviors. This middle-range theory aims to provide a model to guide nurses and researchers in implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of telehealth use in increasing preventive self-care behaviors and improving health outcomes.