Telehealth Project Paper for Professional Writing Sample

Telehealth Project

April 23^rd, 2013

Introduction

The advent of telehealth is streamlining communication between patient and provider. Telehealth technologies are unique in that they come in a variety of devices so that they are portable for users to carry from one location to the next and even exchange between providers and providers to patients. Telehealth communication also lessens provider error because patient records can be retrieved at one’s fingertips and the message of the disease process is not lost literally through translation error or through human error of channels where the original message is never received by the exact provider who needs to see it. There are barriers to overcome with integrating telehealth in the workplace and in people’s homes, but the greatest risk comes with not utilizing this technology in the field of healthcare.

Telehealth in Nursing

Telehealth is a service of online communication with services, accessed through various forms of technology, which links providers with patients and/or providers with patient information at the touch of a button. Telehealth can provide health care professionals and patients with easily accessible data which expedites patient care. There are various technologies that can be equipped with telehealth educational materials, such as mobile devices for nurses and patients, and larger, more stationary devices, such as translation machines and video conferencing units which stay in hospitals, but still provide a degree of portability to all of the users involved with them. Telehealth services can be used through technological devices to provide many types of information, from medical/nursing references for the provider to patient education tools and monitoring at home (Mann, n.d.). There are many uses for telehealth technologies not only in acute care settings for emergency situations, but also for home and on-the-go use to monitor patterns in the continuing health of patients so the many uses will be explored in the following paragraphs.

The stakeholders in telehealth include all who are involved from the initial investors to the patients who are the ones whose lives depend on the telehealth technologies to work on their behalf. Again, the stakeholder is not just the patient and his/her health and the welfare of those that depend on him/her but also the provider, who can end up seeing more patients when the workload is aided by technology. Telehealth helps patients by enabling providers to do more and see more patients by cutting down commuting on both sides. A provider may only make rounds in a long-term care facility and/or group homes once a month, but with telehealth services, the aides at the facility can help the provider interact with the patients on a weekly basis. Telehealth services can help to make referrals in cases with sensitive situations, such as domestic violence and abuse cases in rural regions where originally, without telehealth technology, limited access to health care networks limited patient contact with providers, resulting in less than ideal patient outcomes (Tschirch, Walker, & Calvacca, 2006). Telehealth services are also good in mental health situations, where psychiatrists are able to deal with suicidal patients immediately, rather than wait until the doctor can physically arrive at the medical facility.

The telephone was the precursor of the modern electronic telehealth services. Prior to computer interaction, doctors could contact most patients on their home phones, a practice which is still used today, whether in a remote area of the country or around the corner. The telephone today has evolved from a mode of communication from one person or business to the next to a network of thousands of users through a network interface that could once only be used in an office or in a stationary position. Now providers and patients have the ability to access records and communicate through tablets and wireless devices while on the road or at remote locations. It takes up valuable time for a nurse to drive from one location to a next to serve patients for home health care. The speed and access and accuracy through which all parties can deliver and acquire care is one that is unparalleled (Russo, 2001). An ideal situation is one in which severely disabled people who reside at home can receive telehealth services, preventing the care-taker from having to transport someone who is either immobile or requires intensive help in moving. There would be a one-time investment for the telehealth technology and set-up costs, but the convenience and time/cost saving benefits in the long term would be tremendous for all involved in the patient’s care.

Conclusion

Telehealth is an emerging field of health care that may have its critics but those with fears may have their concerns quelled when they realize that this integral part of medicine is safe as it conforms to HIPAA guidelines and cuts downs on provider and patient error. Telehealth users, from a provider standpoint, will also be educated on how to use this new technology so that they can provide patients with the best information (Gallagher-Lepak, Scheibel, & Gibson, 2009). There are certain populations who would have to be educated on the uses of telehealth devices, but there is a learning curve for all involved with this technology. Those who may not be able to financially afford certain devices could go to community centers where central devices are easily accessible for all members to use as their schedules permit. Telehealth enables providers to monitor patients with devices at patients’ homes while using their portable devices to access information on the road. Telehealth services can benefit stakeholders and all who have an investment in the project of helping those to get well and maintain a good quality of life.

References

Gallagher-Lepak, S., Scheibel, P., & Gibson, C. (2009). Integrating telehealth in nursing curricula: Can you hear me now?. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics, 13(2), 14. Retrieved from http:ojni.org/13_2/GallagherLepak.pdf

Russo, H. (2001). Window of opportunity for home care nurses: Telehealth technologies. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 6(3), Retrieved from www.nursingworld/org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN TableofContents/Volume62001/No3Sept01/TelehealthTechnologies.aspx

Tschirch, P., Walker, G., & Calvacca, B. (2006). Nursing in tele-mental health. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health, 44(5), Retrieved from http://www.healio Mann, William (n.d.). Telehealth unit 1: Introduction to Telehealth [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learn.usf.edu/courses/1/NUR4935.050S13/content/_7295226_1/dir_Unit1_Telehealth.zip/player.html