title: Virtual visits in home health care for older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This review identifies the content of virtual visits in community nursing services to older adults and explores the manner in which service users and the nurses use virtual visits.
  
  
  METHODS
  An integrative literature review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data collection comprised a literature search in three databases: Cinahl, Medline, and PubMed. In addition, a manual search of reference lists and expert consultation were performed. A total of 12 articles met the inclusion criteria. The articles were reviewed in terms of study characteristics, service content and utilization, and patient and health care provider experience.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our review shows that in most studies the service is delivered on a daily basis and in combination with in-person visits. The findings suggest that older home-dwelling patients can benefit from virtual visits in terms of enhanced social inclusion and medication compliance. Service users and their nurses found virtual visits satisfactory and suitable for care delivery in home care to the elderly. Evidence for cost-saving benefits of virtual visits was not found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings can inform the planning of virtual visits in home health care as a complementary service to in-person visits, in order to meet the increasingly complex needs of older adults living at home.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, Kjell Arholms Hus, Universitetet i Stavanger, 4036 Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Anne Marie Lunde
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Husebø
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, Kjell Arholms Hus, Universitetet i Stavanger, 4036 Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1139-5947
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Storm
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006792:House Calls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data