Improving Patient Care

The purpose of telemedicine is to remove distance as a barrier to health care. While telehealth is an accepted resource to bridge the gap between local and global health care, integrating telehealth into existing health infrastructures presents a challenge for both governments and policy makers (HRSA, 2011). Today there are policy barriers that prevent the expansion of telehealth, including reimbursement issues raised by Medicare and private payers, state licensure, and liability and privacy concerns.

America’s health care system has become very complex with a rise in health costs, patients with complex medical issues, and Medicare cuts. Nurses must find a way to juggle the health care industry while maintaining positive patient outcomes. Patients will either have good or bad outcomes during or after their care based on the decisions of the nurse and the interdisciplinary team. The new goal in healthcare is for outcomes to be patient centered. This means that the patient is looked at holistically and also that the patient is equally involved in the care planning process as the nursing and medical staff. This

The benefits of telehealth consultations are immeasurable; clients are able to access a knowledgeable health care professional and receive a telephone triage/assessment and recommendations. This allows the patient to have immediate access to good health advice and quicker solutions. Telemedicine is one of the many vehicles of telehealth; for example, the cardiologist orders an outpatient Holter Monitor trial to evaluate arrhythmias. The technician calls the patient at the sign of any abnormal rhythm and investigate the activity performed when the reading fluctuation then the reported is communicated to the cardiologist. If warranted, the cardiology staff will contact the patient with instructions schedule an immediate appointment. Telehealth services resources would benefit the client in this next example, an individual’s come in for a sick visit expecting a prescription to be written for their illness; they receive informative instructions because of the nature of the

Telehealth uses technology to provide services that assist in the management of long term health conditions. For patients, telehealth can be a blessing that allows them to remain in their homes rather than moving to rehabilitation facilities. By taking an active role in their own care, some patients are reducing the number of medications they take, visiting emergency rooms less frequently and even lessening depressive symptoms.

According to McGonigle and Mastrian (2009), in 1955, the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute began using closed circuit television to provide routine distance education and teleconsultation between itself and a remote state mental hospital. In 1965, cardiac surgeon Michael DeBakey performed open-heart surgery and transmitted the procedure live to a hospital in Genieva, allowing him to describe the process and to answer questions. McGonigle and Mastrian also indicate NASA began using telehealth in the 1960s and 70’s to monitor astronauts’ physical and mental health as well with much success.

Telehealth services refers to the exchange of health information and services through telecommunication services in order to support anyone, at any time, in any location. Telehealth systems allows doctors to be in one place and treat patients in rural or urban areas – such as their homes or any another providers premises. The technology behind such concept is particularly helpful for patients with trouble leaving the house, or that live in remote areas from specialists (Narisi, 2013)

“Telehealth changes the location of care by connecting patients and clinicians virtually, in place of the usual face-to-face contact.” (Darkins 2012).

What is telehealth and how is it useful to care for clients? Include a description of what type of clients can benefit from being enrolled in a telehealth program?

Access to mental health care for underprivileged patients is the primary benefit of Tele-psychiatry. Tele-psychiatry provides mental health care to rural or remote areas. Patients get easy access to their consultants without having to leave their homes. Scarcity of consultants in a specific area can be overcome by Tele-psychiatry. (1)The elderly, people with disabilities, inmates of a prison or a detention centre, homeless people and the military can access mental health care through videoconferencing. Stigma, shame and cultural issues are some of the reasons why people never seek treatment for mental health at later stages of their disease. Tele-psychiatry removes this barrier, allowing mental health care providers to connect with their patients. (2) Use of Tele-psychiatry reduces waiting times and travel expenses for the patient, the family and the care provider. Videoconferencing helps two or more consultants or health care providers to connect with the patient and/or his family. (3) A consultant can guide a physician in remote areas. According to research, Tele-psychiatry has been as effective as face-to-face interactions. Teaching and research is another important benefit of Tele-psychiatry. (4)

I have no personal experience with telehealth, but I have witness a few promotional videos over the recent years. As technology continues to grow within the healthcare system, it will allow us to provide better care whether we are face-to-face or miles apart. Telehealth is can be beneficial to not only the healthcare workers but always the patient. Telehealth allows the healthcare system to ensure continuity of care and also evaluate patient compliance to the plan of care. Since technology is so prominent in todays society, telehealth allows the patients to have quick and easy way to contact their provider via email, blog, or videochat.

The increasing numbers of vulnerable adults in the United Kingdom has been accompanied several care challenges and policy makers caught their attention to do their part and come up with legislations to combat or overcome these challenges. Giving support and providing care for an individual in their last stage or end of life is a difficult thing to do. End of life care aims to put the person at the centre of the caring process, they should be involved in every decision to make when it comes to their personal care, maintain and enhance quality of life for the person involve and family if possible and provide bereavement support for families and carers after someone passed away. In lieu to this, this will not be possible if not being back up by legislation to oversee that quality care is delivered at the highest possible.

Doctors and patients were excited about seeing each other online through Skype video chat, but healthcare innovation like telemedicine was changing the landscape

For telehealth to be as effective there is a lot that a healthcare organization and provider would have to go through. There are special

Telemedicine refers to the use of medical information, which is exchanged from one place to another through several electronic communications to improve the health status of patients. Telehealth is closely associated with the term telemedicine. Telehealth encompasses a broader definition of the remote healthcare, which does not necessarily involve any clinical services. As such, transmission of images, video conferencing, medical education, e-health such as patient portals and nursing centers are all part of telehealth and telemedicine. Telehealth and telemedicine are critical issues within the healthcare sector for both the practitioners and the consumers. With the increase in telecommunications development, the internet, and lowered costs of technology, the use of telehealth and telemedicine may have a revolutionary and profound impacts in the field of medical care worldwide. Telemedicine is imperative to healthcare professionals because it is cost efficient, improves access to health care and the increased convenience for

The delivery of health care has always been influenced by technological developments and innovations. This is particularly true in modern health care professionals where they are obsessed with technology and rush to apply them. One of the most recent applications of ICT – Information and computer technology- is telehealth. Telehealth is the use of communication, diagnostic and information technology to provide health care when patients and providers are geographically separated [2], Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store -and-forward imaging, streaming media, terrestrial and wireless communications. Telehealth could be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone or as