Prior to the rise of covid -19, telehealth was being used all over the united states. Telehealth became more and more prominent at the turn of the century. One aspect that drove the development of telehealth was the “graying” of america. As the baby boomers became older and began retiring, they required more and more care and less jobs were available. This created a need for more health care and telehealth made that possible. In addition to this, 9/11 caused people to have a general fear and disarray when it came to leaving the house, entering public settings, and even seeking medical attention. This is another example of when telehealth became used more and more. 

In order for telehealth to function in the ICU, the nursing and physician staff that are in the hospital would have to collaborate with the telehealth team. It was common for these providers to have a sense of distrust or lack of faith in the telehealth team. It is important to note that a majority of this disconnection was due to lack of education and once providers could see the positive effect of telehealth in the ICU, they were accepting. It was challenging for nurses to perform their job from a telehealth perspective however just like many aspects of the nursing career, it required lots of flexibility and adaptation.

Patients that were being treated by telehealth in the ICU often found comfort in knowing that there were lots of people and providers keeping an eye on their condition. When the pandemic struck however, the stubbornness of some patients and providers was no longer an option as they had no choice but to use the telehealth technology to treat a large portion of their patients. Once they began to learn about telehealth and how it is beneficial to note only safety and convenience, but it also often creates better patient outcomes.