Telehealth technologies have been used for health care delivery over the past several decades, and its application to WOC specialty care is advocated in the Society's latest Scope and Standards Document.1,2 Nevertheless, its use was mainly limited to specific care settings (home health) and geographic locations (rural areas). All of this changed with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent need for social isolation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, telehealth encounters have risen sharply in 2020 and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has actively encouraged this trend via waivers related to HIPPA requirements and reimbursements for these types of visits.3,4

The need to deliver telehealth services affects all heath care professionals, including WOC specialty nurses and WOC APRN. In response to this trend, this issue's COVID Response Special Focus Section comprises 4 articles (all are written in a Clinical Challenges format) and a View From Here (guest commentary) addressing 2 key issues essential to WOC practice in 2020. Read on to find out more about the insights and experiences of these colleagues as they (like you) struggle to adjust their practice to meet the demands of our rapidly evolving health care system.

This special issue includes a View From Here authored by William Padula and Natalie Reid that examines the macroeconomic impact of the pandemic and identifies a more robust WOC nurse workforce as part of the solution. You will want to read this persuasive commentary to refresh your understanding of the economic impact of your preventive care and share this article with others who may not be heeding the persuasive and serious consequences of a reduction in the available WOC specialty are practice workforce.

Our special focus on telehealth opens with an article from Mary Mahoney, an expert in home care with prolonged and considerable experience with telehealth methods for delivering care. Regardless of your practice setting, Mahoney's article is a must read for several reasons. She provides an essential introduction into the language of telehealth and insights into the rapid expansion of these methods in response to the pandemic. In addition, she also outlines the challenges faced in all care settings and provides a broad overview of possible solutions.

Dr Catherine Ratliff (co-Section Editor of our Ostomy Care section) describes 2 case studies and describes an ongoing quality improvement project with the goal of decreasing the likelihood of hospital readmission of patients with chronic wounds managed in 2 inpatient rehabilitation centers. You will want to read this article to explore the strength and limitations of these 2 telemedicine technologic platforms used by Dr Ratliff's group and determine the needs of your facility's platform when providing services to referring facilities such as long-term acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, or long-term care.

Dawn Engels, Melody Austin, Sherry Doty, Karen Sanders, and Laurie McNichol report on their WOC nurse department's expansion of telemedicine technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the authors describe 2 cases that illustrate their ability to maintain prompt and effective consultations of patients admitted to hospital with pressure injuries during the pandemic. They also describe a second case demonstrating the use of remote technology to provide wound care to a critically ill patient with COVID-19 requiring prolonged positioning in a prone position. This article qualifies s must read for every WOC nurse in acute care who is challenged with maintaining care of all patients with WOC disorders, along with the added challenge of caring for patients on strict isolation due to coronavirus infection. You will also want to read their creative solution to photodocumentation of wounds in an isolated and critically ill patient with SARS-CoV-2.

Terran Sims and Karie Wilson describe their experiences caring for a patient with postoperative complications following urostomy creation. Their lucid case study describes management of a new urostomy and postoperative complications using telemedicine technologies and additional communication strategies ensuring excellence in WOC care without compromising social distancing recommendations during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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