The Importance Of Telehealth Technology

Telehealth is an innovative approach to health care that is rapidly expanding in all areas of patient care. It has been shown to be cost effective and is rapidly being integrated into everyday practices from clinics, hospitals, court systems, school systems and even the local drug store.

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

Telehealth is remote exchange of data between a patient and doctor that facilitate in better diagnosis of patients and monitoring typically used to support patients with long term conditions.

Telehealth can help reduce high cost hospital visits such as stroke cases, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) cases and other emergencies. There have been recent initiatives that collected data to see if telehealth was a cost effective option for healthcare. One initiative, Baby CareLink, places telehealth units in homes of low-birth weight neonates.12 For this initiative, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston installs the telehealth units in the neonates home for $2,000, and that units replaces a NICU stay of $5,000 per day.12 If a neonate was to stay in the NICU for 7 days, that would be a $35,000 expense that the $2,000 telehealth unit replaces. 12 Different disease states and emergency states will have different cost factors depending on the amount of medical care. However, the amount that a family can save on their newborn by investing in telehealth is quite significant. In a study from the Milwaukee and Iron Mountain Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) telepulmonary program, telehealth was found to be more cost effective compared to routine care. This study was conducted over a year and telehealth had costs of $335 per patient per year compared to routine care, which was $585 per patient per year, and onsite care was also compared at $1,166 per patient per year.13 A sensitivity analysis was performed on these values, and it did show that the cost-effectiveness telehealth was dependent on successful telehealth consultation, equipment cost, and

monitored by medical professionals. According to McKnight (2012), “Studies indicate patients with telehealth care are noted to have a 25% reduction in the number of inpatient hospital days and a 19% reduction in the rate of hospitalizations” (p. 4).

In this discussion, it is indispensable to review issues concerning telehealth, ethical issues and nursing relevance, and implications for nursing in an effort to renew healthcare as a whole.

A key element used to drive the nursing practice forward is the ability to adapt and incorporate new ideas and technologies with an open mind, and the use of a scientific approach. According to (HRSA, 2015) telehealth is the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. Technologies include video conferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications. When conducting research into what types of telehealth operations will be successful and beneficial one must look into certain areas of telehealth such as; right equipment

Access to applicable health services is often limited for people living in remote areas and for those with restricted mobility. One of the innovative implementation for a sustainable health care system in minimizing this inequality in access is Telehealth services (Bywood, P et.al, 2013). The aim of this study is to analyze the possible challenges encountered during the provision of using advanced telecommunication systems in the health care system.

daunting task of caring for a rapidly aging and ever expanding population1—the corollary of which is increased need for

It excludes the option of face-to-face communication during examinations. Finally, telehealth focuses on educational and research purposes involving all types of caregivers with telecommunication between patient and health professionals. Health care delivery in its use of information, records, communication, and will continue to grow with the Internet. The rapid expansion of information technology into daily life and business has healthcare delivery begin to adopt and optimize the use of technology.

As discussed earlier, Roja et al. (2014) found that there is minimal effort in developing programs for the Aboriginal community that are deemed culturally safe and appropriate care provided by health care professionals. With current advancements in technology, remote Aboriginal communities can now utilize a videoconferencing service where a physician can attend to them via Telehealth. According to Kowpak & Gillis (2015), this method uses a robot that has ‘peripheral examination tools such as a stethoscope, ENT camera, and a general exam camera’. Although this method paves way to a much acceptable timeframe to consult with a physician, Telehealth also has its fair share of criticisms (Health Canada, 2014). Telehealth is another form of service

Health is a vital aspect of life, which is why it is important to have an access to different health care services. The world’s population is rising radically every year; thus, the demand for quality health care services also increases. With the application of modern technology the health system has been able to accommodate this demand in many countries through the implementation of Telehealth. In Canada, accessibility and distribution of health care services is influenced by aspects like large landmass, population concentration and economy and (Sevean, et. al., 2008). The feasibility of

Telemedicine has provided better access to health care to many individuals that would otherwise not be able to get required health care services. Telehealth is a means to improve access to care, while reducing costs of transportation and increasing accessibility to patients in obtaining care. Telemedicine allows for healthcare information to be shared with treatment team members that are separated miles from each other with the ability to communicate in a timely manner. For information technology to impact care, one has to be knowledgeable about the use of technology

Currently, our Kirkland based clinic works with 40 children on an average week. Our Bellingham location only sees 20 children. We have the ability to reach out to far more clients and provide them even more assistance then we ever thought were capable. Telehealth is an up and coming new wave of both technology and healthcare. The basic foundational idea of telehealth is that the therapist has the ability to treat the client via electronic means such as iPad, webcams and phones. It opens the door for patients to overcome barriers and receive the proper healthcare that they need and may have missed out on thus far. Washington is in the forefront of bringing this form of healthcare to the surface by passing bill #6519. I have included the link for this bill so that you may look into more information and history of the bill if you wish. As you can see, this bill showcases that we are legally able to provide this service as long as we are providing treatment to those that are in the state of which we are licensed.

Telemedicine is the use telecommunications and information technology to provide healthcare to patients located in the remote or distant locations. For example: people staying in the mountainous areas or islands can get medical services right at their home with the help of smart devices or patients who cannot go to the hospital for some reason.