Though home care providers are increasingly using new technologies to supplement care, many nurses believe remote, virtual and app-based tools have a negative effect on care quality, according to a new survey released by the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
The MNA surveyed 510 registered nurses across settings including teaching hospitals, community hospitals and non-hospital care in February and March 2024, according to the report. Of these respondents, 61% indicated that remote nursing is bad for patient care, and 10% said it has no impact on patient care. But despite this, the use of virtual and remote care tools has steadily become more widespread in recent years.
“Our annual survey shows that healthcare executives and state officials are failing to respond to nurses’ concerns,” Katie Murphy, president of MNA, said in a statement. “Instead, the industry continues to move toward temporary, remote, and app-based approaches that nurses do not like and are bad for patient care.”
Little interest in independent contract work
Additionally, almost 60% of respondents said they had no interest in trying new models of work that use app-based platforms to find shifts as independent contractors. Only about 10% indicated that they would be willing to try this type of work.
The Department of Labor recently raised the stakes for home care providers using independent contractors. A newly finalized rule elevated the threshold for which workers can be classified as independent contractors, and some recent cases have brought massive financial penalties for providers that were found to have misclassified workers.
Concerns about workplace violence
MNA’s survey also found that workplace violence has remained a common struggle for RNs, and many respondents indicated that they received little to no support from their employer after being victim to abuse. Last week, the DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited home care franchise Elara Caring as failing to protect visiting nurse Joyce Grayson who was killed on the job. OSHA also said Elara Caring could have done more to protect its workers from violence. Elara Caring disputed OSHA’s citation.
Finally, the survey found low retention rates among RNs due to a combination of factors including burnout, exhaustion, and this lack of support from employers. About 1 in 5 nurses surveyed said they plan to leave the profession in two years or less.
