Background:

Annually, nearly six million calls are made to the Swedish Healthcare Direct and these calls are answered by registered nurses. Over recent years it has become more common for patients to enter their way into the healthcare system this way. The nurses who handle the calls are guiding the callers to the right area of practice for their problems.

Aim:

The aim of the study was to study nurses' experiences of working with tele-nursing.

Method:

A literature review based on published research on tele-nursing was performed. Twelve qualitative articles were selected which reflected various approaches of tele-nursing.

Results:

The results from the study were presented in two themes: "The good dialogue" and "The given conditions" comprising five sub-themes.

Conclusion:

Tele-nurses' major concerns are the absence of visibility for which the tele-nurses develop strategies to compensate. The way to question, listen to the answers and perceive the unspoken words are very important for the outcome of the call. It takes time to hear the caller's full story which is in conflict with the tele-nurses limited time per call.