Telenursing use in mother and child community health centers: A qualitative study among public health nurses

Objective: The use of telenursing has been increasing, but in mother and child community health centers in Israel, it is rarely in use. The study aimed to explore the existence and implementation of telenursing services and to analyze nurses’ perceptions, identifying factors that may promote or delay their use. Design: A qualitative approach study using thematic analysis was conducted in the North, Tel-Aviv, and South regions of the Ministry of Health, and involved 19 nurses—7 in a management role, and 12 staff nurses. Methods: Data collection employed semistructured interviews conducted in-person or over Zoom. The data were analyzed to identify themes, subthemes, and categories. Results: Telenursing services exist mainly on a national level, including the nationwide Ministry of Health's call center and a service providing online parent enrichment lectures. Nurses viewed remote services as enriching family education, extending care beyond brief clinic visits through improved access, and creating opportunities for flexible work (including from home) and enhanced professional recognition. Yet, nurses addressed some challenges including fear that reduced face-to-face contact may erode trust with parents, decrease diagnostic accuracy, and marginalize nursing; they also reported added workload, digital-literacy gaps, and potential reductions in clinic utilization. System-level barriers included weak infrastructure, limited technical support, legal and procedural gaps, and needs for training, clear protocols, and ongoing monitoring. Finally, participants cautioned that telenursing may widen inequalities and foster distrust in vulnerable communities. Conclusions: Telenursing can improve access, quality, and efficiency, but requires hybrid integration, strong infrastructure, training, and support.