Nurse Zee - Telehealth Implementation Researcher.

One thing that surprised me during my Master’s research was that young people were not asking for teleconsultations to replace clinics, they were asking for a starting point. Many participants described teleconsultation as a way to get advice, understand whether their symptoms were serious and decide if they needed to go to a clinic. They saw it as a guide, not a substitute for healthcare.

Sometimes we debate whether digital health should replace conventional care, young people seem to be asking a different question “What can help me access the right care, at the right time, without unnecessary barriers?” Perhaps the future isn’t digital healthcare versus conventional healthcare, perhaps it’s both.

Today for the first time I typed “Happy International Nurses Day” differently. I sent that message to one of our nursing WhatsApp communities, but it didn’t sit comfortably with me. It felt like saying “happy birthday” to a child from a child headed home, a child carrying responsibilities far beyond their age, uncertain of where the next meal will come from, exhausted by survival itself. You say “happy birthday” knowing very well that for them there is very little to celebrate. Sometimes the day is acknowledged simply because it exists, not because it feels joyful. That is what it feels like being at the centre of uncomfortable nursing conversations for me.

As much as my own career may seem to be in a better space now, I remain deeply connected to the realities nurses face daily. Particularly nurses on the ground in public healthcare facilities and the truth is, very little currently makes many nurses feel proud, celebrated or valued in a system they serve so tirelessly.

We work in an overloaded healthcare system with overwhelming patient volumes and severe resource constraints, a system that often does not financially value the work nurses do. A system that expects more from nurses while their growth, wellbeing and professional development are often not prioritized. A system that declines study leave, limits opportunities, and leaves many nurses feeling professionally stuck and emotionally exhausted.

So today I found myself asking, how do we genuinely say “Happy Nurses Day” to nurses carrying all of this? Nonetheless I still pen these thoughts because I remain proud to be a nurse. And I hold onto the hope that one day international nurses day will truly feel like a celebration for nurses everywhere, not just a symbolic acknowledgement on a calendar.

Until then may we continue fighting for the liberation, dignity, development and recognition of our profession.

One of the biggest things research has taught me is this, let people speak for themselves. As researchers and healthcare workers, we often walk in thinking we understand. We’ve read the literature, we know the guidelines, we’ve seen similar cases. But the truth is, our lens is not their lens.

The person sitting in front of you understands their environment, their challenges and their reality in a way you never fully will. Research demands that we don’t impose meaning, it requires us to listen, allow participants to describe their own experiences, their own perceptions in their own words.

And sometimes what they say will not match what you expected, it might challenge your assumptions or might even contradict what you thought was the “real issue.” But that’s the point If we override their voice with our own interpretations, we’re no longer understanding the problem. We’re just reinforcing our bias.

One thing we don’t talk about enough as healthcare workers is that, the patient in front of you is not just a diagnosis. They are a product of where they come from, how they live, what they can afford, what they’ve been exposed to and what they are dealing with outside of your consulting room. This is what we mean when we talk about social determinants of health; things like income, education, employment, housing, transport, family support, even safety in their community. These are not “extra” factors, they shape health outcomes just as much as the medication we prescribe.

So when a patient misses appointments, defaults treatment or doesn’t follow advice, the question is NOT ALWAYS “why are they not compliant?” Sometimes it’s: They don’t have transport money, they are choosing between food and medication, they are hiding their condition at home or they don’t have the kind of support we assume they have.

If we are not paying attention to these realities, we end up designing care that only works on paper, not in real life.

PS: Can you believe this picture was taken 10 years ago, when I was a new grad nurse.🤭