COLUMBIA – When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Chelsea Howland saw firsthand how telehealth helped her dad, A Type 2 diabetic, see his diabetes specialist virtually. As a nurse herself, Howland understands the convenience virtual appointments provide for patients, particularly in rural communities, where access to health care can be limited. She also sees the strain telehealth puts on the workload of nurses already stressed in the midst of a nationwide nursing shortage. In her study, Howland, a doctoral student at the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing, reviewed the activities nurses completed to document and analyze blood glucose and blood pressure data transmitted from diabetic patients’ in-home, telehealth devices to six family medicine clinics affiliated with MU Health Care. After comparing results with nursing activities completed during traditional, in-person appointments, she found telehealth leads to twice as many activities completed by nurses, which impacts their…