Telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another by using electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status. This allows providers to be able to care for patients or give advice to other medical providers in a particular medical subspecialty or healthcare specialization where the recipient of that service is located at a different geographic location from that of the provider. Typically, such services originate from health care systems, hospitals or large medical group practices that employ a diverse collection of expert and highly experienced medical and healthcare specialists. The specialists communicate with patients and/or providers at physically separate locations using a variety of …show more content…
The specialist is often located either in a special telemedicine facility or in his or her office. The patient is at a different location, such as a clinic, nursing home or hospital, and may be accompanied by a telemedicine presenter, who is a staff member at that location. Communication is facilitated typically by using secure digital videoconferencing where the specialist’s image is captured by a video camera, digitized and transmitted over secure, broadband speed telecommunications lines to where the patient is located and where it appears on a video screen to be viewed by the patient. At the same time, the patient’s image is captured by a similar process and transmitted to a video screen for viewing by the specialist. The conversation between the patient and the specialist is captured and transmitted in the same way. The transmission speeds are sufficiently fast that the specialist and the patient can conduct conversations as if they were in the same room and hence the use of the descriptor “live, interactive” for these types of …show more content…
It derives its name from the fact that information is captured and “stored” in a digital file at one location and then transmitted or “forwarded” to another location for evaluation. Dermatology provides a good example of this type of consultation. In a dermatology store-and-forward consultation, a provider at a remote site typically takes digital pictures of the patient’s skin lesion with a digital camera and then uploads those images to a secure server along with other clinical information about the patient. At a later time, the dermatologist signs into that server, views the images and reviews the clinical information and writes a set of recommendations that are stored on the server. The referring physician or the original provider at his or her convenience can then sign into the server, review the recommendations and inform the patient of the results and any recommended treatments. Teleradiology is the most widely recognized and used type of store-and-forward consultation. As the longest-standing application of this type and to date the only one that is fully reimbursable, it has evolved into its own area of application and does not fall within the scope of this
“Telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve patients’ health status” (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013, p. 156.)
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.
It is widely recognized that mental illness affects a significant proportion of the population; however, it is complicated to determine exact numbers. This problem can be attributed to such issues as the changing definitions of mental illness as well as difficulties in classifying, diagnosing, and reporting mental disorders. Limitations to adequate mental health services including social stigma, cultural incompatibility between patients and providers, language barriers, lack of insurance and logistical barriers. In addition, significant differences in socioeconomic status, lifestyle behaviors, and access to care have resulted in health disparities between rural and urban communities (Institute of Medicine, 2004). According to Sulzbacher et al., many families who live in rural areas do not have the financial, social or psychological resources, to travel to distant urban centers to obtain adequate care particularly for a chronic mental health problem. There is also evidence to suggest that mental illness in rural areas is as nearly as high as among people in metropolitan areas. However, the accessibility of mental health services and professionals in rural areas is extremely low compared to major cities and metropolitan areas. Such barriers can impede the diagnosing, treating and reporting of mental illnesses and have also been instrumental in developing and improving telepsychiatry and e-mental health models.
“Telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status” (American Telemedicine Association, 2013). Telemedicine is the use of technology such as email, mobile devices, and computers to communicate health information (Mayoclinic.com, 2014). Telemedicine has enabled the use of communication technologies by healthcare professionals for the evaluation, diagnose, and the treatment of patients in rural areas (GlobalMed.com, 2014). Telemedicine is used in a variety of health care services like primary care, patients monitoring, health information sharing, health education (America Telemedicine Association, 2013). These services are delivered using various mechanisms such as video conferencing, personal health apps, e-visits (Mayoclinic.com, 2014). These technologies have been proven to increase access, to be cost efficient, to improve quality, and intensify patients’ satisfaction according to the America Telemedicine Association.
Among the main aims of health care reform and improvement is expanding healthcare access to different populations, which have been subjects to underserving for a long period. These include the poor, the previously uncovered, rural societies, and the minorities, to mention just a few. Great challenges definitely lie ahead, since several individuals start seeking access to the primary healthcare clinicians (Arnaert & Delesie, 2001). Telenursing assures to be a crucial tool to meet such needs. It refers to making use of the telehealth technology in conducting nursing practice and delivering nursing care. Because of the quick telemedicine technology adoption within the healthcare institutions, telenursing emerges as a fresh tool that provokes discussions
Telemental Health Collaboration Protocol: What is the best way for rural nurses to help the elderly population decrease depression?
Telehealth definition according to our textbook by Hebda, T., & Czar, P., 2013 is the use of telecommunications technologies and electronic information to exchange healthcare information and to provide and support services such as long-distance clinical healthcare to clients. It provides health care to patients that may not be able to have access to care. Telehealth requires a patient to have electronic tools to facilitate this type of service. Electronic tools can be a telephone, computer, or a video camera. The patient is able to call or enable video conferencing to have access to their health care provider. Telehealth allows the patient to have access to preventative care and education on their disease process and how to manage it at home.
Telemedicine is a new comer to the field of medicine and it is the treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology. Telemedicine is carried out in a variety of ways whether it is by smart phone, wireless tools or other forms of telecommunications. Examples of telemedicine include: 1) transmission of medical images 2) care services at the home of the patient 3) Diagnosis at distance 4) education and training of patients. The diversity of practices in what is known as telemedicine raises many questions and one of those questions, which is extremely important, relate to the safety of the practice and the risks involved.
Telehealth allows a lower-level healthcare practitioner to communicate with a physician or specialist when necessary. Remote rural areas use a Physician Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner on location in remote areas. When procedures call for a physician, an internet or satellite link provides a teleconference with a physician who can prescribe appropriate treatment (Gangon, Duplantie, Fortin & Landry 2006). This could be implemented in lower income urban areas, allowing free clinics to lower costs, and require fewer physicians. Programs that increase the level of healthcare available to school children could be increased.
Annotated Bibliography Delana, K., Deo, S., Ramdas, K., Subburaman, G. B. B., & Ravilla, T. (2023). Multichannel delivery in healthcare: the impact of telemedicine centers in southern India. Management Science, 69(5), 2568-2586. https://bmcmedinformdecismak.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12911-023-02194-4 This article explores the establishment and effects of telemedicine facilities in southern India, particularly emphasizing the notion of multichannel delivery in healthcare.
The increased use of high speed communication technologies has not only speeded up the delivery of care, but has opened new portals for potential breeches of patients ' privacy. With increased specialization and sub specialization and resulting increases in consultation, greater need for communication between health care professionals has arisen, and so has the potential for more complete patient
During the progression of a stroke, nervous tissue is lost rapidly and permanently. This suggests that for stroke diagnosis and treatment, time is of the essence (Saver, 2006). Fortunately, telemedicine for stroke patients can help specialists to evaluate a patient immediately, while emergency assistance is on its way, significantly decreasing the likelihood of serious and life-threating effects. Telemedicine has been defined as the use of the transference of medical information remotely from one site to another using various electronic communication devices such as smart phones, web cams, robotic telepresence, and email (American Telemedicine Association, 2012). One common model for telemedicine is known as Hub and Spoke.
Moreover, specialist and other health care professionals are also able to expand their reach through telemedicine and telehealth. As a result, it can be said that both telehealth and telemedicine have a unique capacity that increases access to services for millions of people and professionals around the world. These advanced technological creations certainly serve their purposes, as they enhance social justice by giving individuals and populations a fair and equal opportunity to receive the best level of care to which everyone is entitled to. Furthermore, due to the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) over the past decade, many health care institutions were able to provide seamless care and improve the speed and the quality of care given to the members of the public (Weinfeld, Davidson, and Mohan 2012). Weinfeld, Davidson, and Mohan (2012) expressed that there have been many improvements since EHRs were first introduced, especially among disadvantaged health care practices.
From state and federal levels, the healthcare industry has come a very long way, experiencing changes along the way. The development of advanced technology that has enhanced the quality of healthcare delivery systems will help all patients to be able to benefit. Doctors are able to access patient records at a faster rate and respond to their patients in a much more timely fashion. E-mail, electronic transfer of records and telemedicine will give all patients and physicians the tools needed to be more efficient, deliver quality care and deliver quality telecommunication at a faster pace than before.
Imagine the ability to obtain healthcare services from almost anywhere in the world where you have access to a phone or computer. Now, imagine being able to provide nursing assessments, diagnosis, treatments, and recommendations to your patients from your home to almost anywhere in the world. Lauren Stokowski (2008) noted in her article that one fourth of the United States has rural residents. That number may appear small in comparison to the urban residences; however, rural residents have a tendency to to have “higher poverty rates, larger percentage of elderly, and tend to be in poorer health”. Could telenursing be a solution?