Sammanfattning
The introduction of telemedicine will transform the health care sector and bring changes
to the role and function of nurses. In this inquiry, we ask, what competences are required in the
‘doing’ of telemedicine? The project is based on interviews with two focus groups involving
nurses from the primary and secondary sectors, working with telemedicine in a project entitled,
Horsens på forkant med sundhed (Horsens on the Frontiers of Health). The analysis is datadriven
and reveals that cultivation of competences is closely associated with structural conditions.
Nurses emphasize that telemedicine has to be meaningful and a flexible and technically
reliable solution. The possession of technical skills and a personal interest in telemedicine are
advantageous. More important, however, are high clinical skills and competences in caring
relationships. Nurses from diverse clinical settings report that telemedicine mediates a change
in focus and attention. Future education of nurses therefore has to incorporate critical reflection
on what is transmitted and omitted in telemedicine.