Abstract

　　Today, information technology including the Internet has been incorporated into various aspects of medical care in remote regions. In nursing as well, remote care taking full advantage of current IT―telenursing―has been introduced as a new paradigm for our discipline. The author has been providing information and guidance to patients and family with the inheritant disorder, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, via the Internet, phone, fax, and by post. The function of telenursing for providing guidance is examined taking into account the specificity of the genetic disorders, through review of the content of consultations to date. As a result, the content could be integrated into the 5 perspectives of: ⅰ) provision of information, ⅱ) support for understanding heredity and the disorder, ⅲ) advice in undergoing treatment, ⅳ) support in seeking treatment, ⅴ) dealing with anxiety and distress associated with heredity or the physical condition. These were found to be servicing the function of complementing the extant medical care system through timely response to the consulter at the very moment of their difficulty, in this case, by a professional volunteer. As such, it is believed that telenursing utilizing available IT is a valid and effective method particularly in cases such as the genetic disorders for which information is relatively difficult to acquire, and in which a somewhat private, closed environment is desired in the consultation.