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Explain telemedicine, and describe how it is typically being used in either a rural or an urban setting at the present time. For the setting you chose, what are telemedicine’s overall strengths? What are its overall weaknesses?
Next, select an allied health profession and describe how telemedicine is now or could affect patient care in that field. In your responses to colleagues, select posts that discuss different settings and professions (if possible) and offer a fresh perspective or a novel approach as to how telemedicine could be more fully used.
DQ 5-1
Responses
1. Telemedicine is the use of technology to communicate among health professions on the status of a patient’s health. It could include primary care or specialist referral services in which there is need to monitor a patient’s medical and health information. (Jonas & Kovners, 2015). This type of medicine transition patient care from the physician’s office to the patient’s home. Telemedicine holds the promise of being able to provide services to each population with the use of technology in the fields of both health care and communications. For those in remote regions of any state or province, video conferencing and distant consultation could be used to provide care over very large distances.
Describe how it is typically being used in either a rural or an urban setting at the present time.
In the rural setting, a telemedicine health care network consists of rural health care centers that are connected to regional hospitals through telecommunication/data technology and (telemedicine-enabled) medical equipment. The centers have medical personnel who help with doctor -patient interactions and medical examinations. The diagnosis and patient monitoring are all done remotely. (Ishfaq, R., & Raja, U., 2015).
For the setting you chose, what are telemedicine’s overall strengths? What are its overall weaknesses?
The overall strengths in the rural setting is the ready assess to health care. The advantages of this include removal of transportation issues to major cities, reduction in cost of health care and the mere fact that health care is available to the people in the rural areas. The overall weakness will include the availability of enough health care centers to cater for the health needs of a community
Next, select an allied health profession and describe how telemedicine is now or could affect patient care in that field.
Laboratory testing is an integral part of any health care diagnosis and treatment therefore it is important to have quick and accurate laboratory results. Point-of-care testing(POCT) has been in existence for a long time and has been proven to be effective. The quick and convenient way of using POCT and the fact that it can be done anywhere is of great importance to many patients in rural areas. There is however the need for training to use the equipment accurately. Other areas of concern would be the weather conditions in the rural areas which could affect the efficacy of the reagents in the equipment.
Reference
Ishfaq, R., & Raja, U. (2015). Bridging the Healthcare Access Divide: A Strategic Planning Model for Rural Telemedicine Network. Decision Sciences, 46(4), 755-790. doi:10.1111/deci.12165 Retrieved on January 1, 2018 from
https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=109115177&site=eds-live&scope=site
Jonas, S. and Kovner, A.R., 2015 “Health Care Delivery in the United States” Retrieved on January 1, 2018 from
http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/springer-publishing-company/2015/jonas-and-kovners-health-care-delivery-in-the-united-states_ebook_11e.php
Kurec, A. (2016). The laboratory of the future moves outside the walls. MLO: Medical Laboratory Observer, 48(5), 18-2
4.
Retrieved on January 1, 2018 from
https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=114721920&site=eds-live&scope=site
2.
Telemedicine allows for a medical visit even when patient and provider are not in the same location. “Telehealth (or Telemonitoring) is the use of telecommunications and information technology to provide access to health assessment, diagnosis, intervention, consultation, supervision and information across distance.” (telemedicine, 2018)
The hospital that I work for has been using telemedicine for a year or so as a way to connect with and help children that are not able to physically visit our hospital or clinics. One main benefit of telemedicine is the ability to have a specialty provider assess a patient, for example the pediatric patient in a rural hospital. Telemedicine is also found to be a more cost effective consultation or medical visit.
While telemedicine provides many advantages there are some difficulties; the need for technology to make this happen can cause problems. Technology is wonderful but doesn’t always work as it is intended, without power or a good internet signal the visit is impossible.
As a respiratory therapist and sleep tech I had to really think about how telemedicine affects my job and future work. One area of respiratory that I did find interesting was pulmonary rehab. Education and training can be done using telehealth, patients would still need access to equipment for exercise and monitoring to make the program successful. There have beens some studies completed with positive results. “The results showed that home Telehealth (home telemonitoring and telephone support) decreased the rates of hospitalization and emergency department visits, while findings for hospital bed days of care varied among studies.” (Brooks, 2011)
Brooks, D. (2018) Retrieved January 15, 2018 from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3205100/
Telemedicine (2018) Retrieved January 15, 2018 from
https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/telemed/index.html
3.
Telemedicine is the remote delivery of healthcare services and clinical information using telecommunications technology which includes clinical services using the internet, wireless, satellite, and telephone media (American Telemedicine Association, 2018). This service is exceptionally useful for those living in rural areas that do not have immediate access to healthcare institutions. The overall strengths are that is drives volume, increases quality of care, reduces cost by reducing readmissions and unnecessary emergency department visits, and allows small rural hospitals to continue providing quality care at a low cost (Rural Health Information Hub, 2017). The biggest weakness of the telemedicine system I would think would be the diagnosis of patients. Since the services are all performed virtually, it can sometimes not be 100% accurate unless the patient already has pre-existing conditions listed on their medical records. This service would mostly affect specialists so that the diagnosis would be more specific and more accurate that way. This could also open the floor for more jobs in the healthcare field which is much needed since more people have health insurance now.
References
American Telemedicine Association. (2018). FAQs – ATA Main. Retrieved from American Telemedicine Association: http://www.americantelemed.org/main/about/telehealth-faqs-
Rural Health Information Hub. (2017, August 02). Telehealth Use in Rural Healthcare. Retrieved from RHIhub:
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/telehealth
4.
According to the American Telemedicine Association (n.d.), “telemedicine is the remote delivery of health care services and clinical information using telecommunications technology”. Telemedicine uses a variety of communication such as the Internet and telephone. Telemedicine used in rural areas gives access to improve the quality of healthcare. In addition, RHIhub (n.d.) states how telehealth can reduce burdens for patients like travel to receive care, timeliness, and communication within the healthcare system. The strengths in rural areas are the easy access, whereas the challenges they face are reimbursement in the fee-for-service system (RHIhub, n.d.).
The United States faces a shortage of physicians in rural areas. Rosenblatt & Hart (2000) state how “20% of the US population- more than 50 million people- live in rural areas, but only 9% of the nation’s physicians practice in rural communities”. The population living in rural areas are affected by these numbers simply because there is not enough healthcare providers.
American Telemedicine Association. (n.d.). About telemedicine. Retrieved from
http://www.americantelemed.org/main/about/telehealth-faqs-
RHIhub. (n.d.). Telehealth use in rural healthcare. Retrieved from
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/telehealth#challenges
Rosenblatt, R. A., Hart, L. G. (2000). Provider shortages in rural America. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1071163/
5.
Telemedicine is the delivery of health care services using the transfer of medical data through audio, visual, or data communications that area performed over two or more locations by a provider that is not physically near the recipient of health care. It is used to serve rural areas that do not have access to health care on a regular basis, or for elderly patients that cannot leave their home, and any individual who can benefit from a Physicians care but cannot meet with the Physician in person.
Rural areas such as parts of Alaska have benefited greatly from telemedecine. Prior to June 2016, Alaska used telemedicine in very limited ways. It was only available to licenced Physicians who lived in Alaska, and was only used for the Physician to prescribe drugs without conducting a medical exam under certain conditions. In June 2016, SB 74 was enacted which replaces the previous telemedicine authorization with a more extensive one that authorizes the use of telemedicine in certain clinical practices such as psychology, audiology, language pathology, physical therapy, and more. SB 74 eliminated the requirements that the Physician must reside in Alaska, and now treats out-of-state Physicians the same as in-state Physicians (Lacktman, N., 2016).
The strengths of telemedicine are that it gives health care recipients a chance to obtain health care via telecommunications when they are unable to travel to a Physicians office. It makes health care more convenient for anyone lacking the time or means of doctors visits. Telecommunication may increase the amount of care a recipient would have otherwise because of the convenience factor. It also eases the time burden placed upon the Physicians.
Some weaknesses are that it may take away from the relationship that a recipient may have with their provider and causes it to be a less personalized health care experience. Communication is sometimes for effective in person so it may cause a communication gap between patient and Physician. It may also be hard for some elderly people to understand because the lack of experience with technology.
In the Respiratory therapy field, telemedicine may provide a convenient way for patients suffering with chronic respiratory diseases to manage their care plan. Sometimes it is hard for these patients to get to the Doctors office because of their condition so being able to collaborate with the Physician about their care over telecommunication may ease the burden of the reoccurring visits they would normally have. They can get quick advice or help when needed which could help them manage an exacerbation at home instead of ending up in the ER.
References:
Alaska Enacts New Telemedicine Law: What Providers Should Know. (2016, July 11). Retrieved January 16, 2018, from https://www.healthcarelawtoday.com/2016/07/13/alaska-enacts-new-telemedicine-law-what-providers-should-know/
DQ 5-1
Responses
1. Telemedicine is the use of technology to communicate among health professions on the status of a patient’s health. It could include primary care or specialist referral services in which there is need to monitor a patient’s medical and health information. (Jonas & Kovners, 2015). This type of medicine transition patient care from the physician’s office to the patient’s home. Telemedicine holds the promise of being able to provide services to each population with the use of technology in the fields of both health care and communications. For those in remote regions of any state or province, video conferencing and distant consultation could be used to provide care over very large distances.
Describe how it is typically being used in either a rural or an urban setting at the present time.
In the rural setting, a telemedicine health care network consists of rural health care centers that are connected to regional hospitals through telecommunication/data technology and (telemedicine-enabled) medical equipment. The centers have medical personnel who help with doctor -patient interactions and medical examinations. The diagnosis and patient monitoring are all done remotely. (Ishfaq, R., & Raja, U., 2015).
For the setting you chose, what are telemedicine’s overall strengths? What are its overall weaknesses?
The overall strengths in the rural setting is the ready assess to health care. The advantages of this include removal of transportation issues to major cities, reduction in cost of health care and the mere fact that health care is available to the people in the rural areas. The overall weakness will include the availability of enough health care centers to cater for the health needs of a community
Next, select an allied health profession and describe how telemedicine is now or could affect patient care in that field.
Laboratory testing is an integral part of any health care diagnosis and treatment therefore it is important to have quick and accurate laboratory results. Point-of-care testing(POCT) has been in existence for a long time and has been proven to be effective. The quick and convenient way of using POCT and the fact that it can be done anywhere is of great importance to many patients in rural areas. There is however the need for training to use the equipment accurately. Other areas of concern would be the weather conditions in the rural areas which could affect the efficacy of the reagents in the equipment.
Reference
Ishfaq, R., & Raja, U. (2015). Bridging the Healthcare Access Divide: A Strategic Planning Model for Rural Telemedicine Network. Decision Sciences, 46(4), 755-790. doi:10.1111/deci.12165 Retrieved on January 1, 2018 from
https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=109115177&site=eds-live&scope=site
Jonas, S. and Kovner, A.R., 2015 “Health Care Delivery in the United States” Retrieved on January 1, 2018 from
http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/springer-publishing-company/2015/jonas-and-kovners-health-care-delivery-in-the-united-states_ebook_11e.php
Kurec, A. (2016). The laboratory of the future moves outside the walls. MLO: Medical Laboratory Observer, 48(5), 18-2
4.
Retrieved on January 1, 2018 from
https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=114721920&site=eds-live&scope=site
2.
Telemedicine allows for a medical visit even when patient and provider are not in the same location. “Telehealth (or Telemonitoring) is the use of telecommunications and information technology to provide access to health assessment, diagnosis, intervention, consultation, supervision and information across distance.” (telemedicine, 2018)
The hospital that I work for has been using telemedicine for a year or so as a way to connect with and help children that are not able to physically visit our hospital or clinics. One main benefit of telemedicine is the ability to have a specialty provider assess a patient, for example the pediatric patient in a rural hospital. Telemedicine is also found to be a more cost effective consultation or medical visit.
While telemedicine provides many advantages there are some difficulties; the need for technology to make this happen can cause problems. Technology is wonderful but doesn’t always work as it is intended, without power or a good internet signal the visit is impossible.
As a respiratory therapist and sleep tech I had to really think about how telemedicine affects my job and future work. One area of respiratory that I did find interesting was pulmonary rehab. Education and training can be done using telehealth, patients would still need access to equipment for exercise and monitoring to make the program successful. There have beens some studies completed with positive results. “The results showed that home Telehealth (home telemonitoring and telephone support) decreased the rates of hospitalization and emergency department visits, while findings for hospital bed days of care varied among studies.” (Brooks, 2011)
Brooks, D. (2018) Retrieved January 15, 2018 from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3205100/
Telemedicine (2018) Retrieved January 15, 2018 from
https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/telemed/index.html
3.
Telemedicine is the remote delivery of healthcare services and clinical information using telecommunications technology which includes clinical services using the internet, wireless, satellite, and telephone media (American Telemedicine Association, 2018). This service is exceptionally useful for those living in rural areas that do not have immediate access to healthcare institutions. The overall strengths are that is drives volume, increases quality of care, reduces cost by reducing readmissions and unnecessary emergency department visits, and allows small rural hospitals to continue providing quality care at a low cost (Rural Health Information Hub, 2017). The biggest weakness of the telemedicine system I would think would be the diagnosis of patients. Since the services are all performed virtually, it can sometimes not be 100% accurate unless the patient already has pre-existing conditions listed on their medical records. This service would mostly affect specialists so that the diagnosis would be more specific and more accurate that way. This could also open the floor for more jobs in the healthcare field which is much needed since more people have health insurance now.
References
American Telemedicine Association. (2018). FAQs – ATA Main. Retrieved from American Telemedicine Association: http://www.americantelemed.org/main/about/telehealth-faqs-
Rural Health Information Hub. (2017, August 02). Telehealth Use in Rural Healthcare. Retrieved from RHIhub:
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/telehealth
4.
According to the American Telemedicine Association (n.d.), “telemedicine is the remote delivery of health care services and clinical information using telecommunications technology”. Telemedicine uses a variety of communication such as the Internet and telephone. Telemedicine used in rural areas gives access to improve the quality of healthcare. In addition, RHIhub (n.d.) states how telehealth can reduce burdens for patients like travel to receive care, timeliness, and communication within the healthcare system. The strengths in rural areas are the easy access, whereas the challenges they face are reimbursement in the fee-for-service system (RHIhub, n.d.).
The United States faces a shortage of physicians in rural areas. Rosenblatt & Hart (2000) state how “20% of the US population- more than 50 million people- live in rural areas, but only 9% of the nation’s physicians practice in rural communities”. The population living in rural areas are affected by these numbers simply because there is not enough healthcare providers.
American Telemedicine Association. (n.d.). About telemedicine. Retrieved from
http://www.americantelemed.org/main/about/telehealth-faqs-
RHIhub. (n.d.). Telehealth use in rural healthcare. Retrieved from
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/telehealth#challenges
Rosenblatt, R. A., Hart, L. G. (2000). Provider shortages in rural America. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1071163/
5.
Telemedicine is the delivery of health care services using the transfer of medical data through audio, visual, or data communications that area performed over two or more locations by a provider that is not physically near the recipient of health care. It is used to serve rural areas that do not have access to health care on a regular basis, or for elderly patients that cannot leave their home, and any individual who can benefit from a Physicians care but cannot meet with the Physician in person.
Rural areas such as parts of Alaska have benefited greatly from telemedecine. Prior to June 2016, Alaska used telemedicine in very limited ways. It was only available to licenced Physicians who lived in Alaska, and was only used for the Physician to prescribe drugs without conducting a medical exam under certain conditions. In June 2016, SB 74 was enacted which replaces the previous telemedicine authorization with a more extensive one that authorizes the use of telemedicine in certain clinical practices such as psychology, audiology, language pathology, physical therapy, and more. SB 74 eliminated the requirements that the Physician must reside in Alaska, and now treats out-of-state Physicians the same as in-state Physicians (Lacktman, N., 2016).
The strengths of telemedicine are that it gives health care recipients a chance to obtain health care via telecommunications when they are unable to travel to a Physicians office. It makes health care more convenient for anyone lacking the time or means of doctors visits. Telecommunication may increase the amount of care a recipient would have otherwise because of the convenience factor. It also eases the time burden placed upon the Physicians.
Some weaknesses are that it may take away from the relationship that a recipient may have with their provider and causes it to be a less personalized health care experience. Communication is sometimes for effective in person so it may cause a communication gap between patient and Physician. It may also be hard for some elderly people to understand because the lack of experience with technology.
In the Respiratory therapy field, telemedicine may provide a convenient way for patients suffering with chronic respiratory diseases to manage their care plan. Sometimes it is hard for these patients to get to the Doctors office because of their condition so being able to collaborate with the Physician about their care over telecommunication may ease the burden of the reoccurring visits they would normally have. They can get quick advice or help when needed which could help them manage an exacerbation at home instead of ending up in the ER.
References:
Alaska Enacts New Telemedicine Law: What Providers Should Know. (2016, July 11). Retrieved January 16, 2018, from https://www.healthcarelawtoday.com/2016/07/13/alaska-enacts-new-telemedicine-law-what-providers-should-know/
