TY - JOUR TI - Assessing technology attitudes and telehealth readiness among New Jersey perinatal nurses DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-hvzd-4062 PY - 2020 AB - Purpose: To assess perinatal nurses' attitudes toward technology, use, and readiness to use telehealth in practice. Methodology: Online survey invitation to 6,000 New Jersey State Nurses Association members. Descriptive statistics to analyze findings. Results: 52 perinatal nurses participated in the survey for a 25% response rate. 42% (n=22) completed the 90 question survey. Partial answers were included in the analysis. 62% worked in hospitals and workplaces with less than 50 people. 64% (n=26) used started or expanded telehealth since the pandemic and primarily used video telehealth (66%, n=23). Nurses reported that they felt that technology was a necessary skill (77%, n=23) and disagreed 63% (n=20) disagreed or strongly disagreed that technology made them feel nervous and there was no statistical significance when looking at those under 45 and those over 45, U=(Nunder 45=15, Nover45=17) = 11. z=-0.02, p < 0.83. The Telehealth Readiness Assessment has 52 questions. Of questions that were answered, the mean=26.4, median=25, mode=24, min=24, max=31. Aggregate survey data entered to complete the Telehealth Readiness Assessment Tool. The overall score was almost ready. Domain scores were: core readiness = ready, financial considerations = area of improvement, operations = about ready, staff engagement = almost ready and patient readiness = almost ready. Implications for Practice: Perinatal telehealth is a new service model in New Jersey and can be a tool to reach a vulnerable population. Clinical practice is significantly impacted by telehealth and can provide new opportunities for growth and patient satisfaction. Assessing readiness is an essential step in implementation. State and federal policies need to ensure telehealth infrastructure and investment with an equity lens. Safety and quality must be assured with appropriate guidelines, training, and support. Financial payment parity will be required for sustainability. Nursing education from entry-level to experienced nurse need to reinforce best practices in effective communication, teamwork, and leadership. KW - Telehealth KW - Post-Master's DNP Practice LA - English ER -