A. Overview
The healthcare industry is a fast paste industry, always searching for better ways to provide medical treatment to patients. Telehealth is one of the newest application of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in healthcare. Through the development of databases and other applications, ICT also provided the ability to improve health system efficiencies and prevent medical errors. Digital technology is being used in many areas, from clinical treatment to patients to being used in medical records.
This paper will discuss how telehealth is bringing cost effective and efficiency into the health care systems. It will also tell how patients are trying to take control of their health not only by going to the doctors, but
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Telehealth is the ability to communicate using diagnostic and information technology remotely when medical staff and patients are not in the same location or area. Health informatics, medical, nursing, surgery, diagnostics, and pharmacology are all being transformed by telehealth. Telehealth also includes telemedicine, which is the use of telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical healthcare from a distance for non-urgent issues. “Specialties that use telehealth includes radiology, cardiology, neurology, anesthesiology, mental health, pediatrics, and dermatology. The purpose of telehealth is to increase cost productivity, to cut transportation expenses, to improve patient access to specialists and mental health providers, and to have better communication with the …show more content…
According to Lustig, (2012), telehealth came about in 1879, an article in the Lancet talked about patients using the telephone to reduce unnecessary office visits, using healthcare in a home-based setting. As well as the home-based setting telehealth has been used in the clinical setting for many years. Radio was a way of sending clinical advice to medical personal on ships. “The most common current applications of telemedicine (other than general telephone and fax communications) is the radiologic image transmission within healthcare Teleradiology has been in existence for over six decades, Teleradiology allows a digital film, like x-rays and EKG’s to be read in other counties. “One of the earliest use of hospital-based telemedicine was in the 1950’s and 60’s when a closed-circuit television link was established between the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute and Norfolk State Hospital for psychiatric consultations. The internet is where most people began doing research and get most of their as medical advice. The internet is being used more now today, so with that telehealth is becoming more useful as well, but it is not new in the medical field of
It was just yesterday when Electronic health records was just introduced in healthcare industry. People were not ready to accept it due to higher cost and consumption of time associated in training people and adopting new technology. Despite of all this criticism, use of Internet and Electronic Health records are now gaining its popularity among health care professionals, as it is the most effective way to communicate with patient and colleagues. More and more hospitals and clinics are getting rid of paper base filling system and investing in cloud base storage.
[20]Charles BL. (2000) Telemedicine can lower costs and improve access. Healthcare Financial Management. 54(4): 66.
Telehealth is the monitoring via remote exchange of physiological data between a patient at home and health care professionals at hospitals or clinics to assist with diagnosis and treatment. As our society ages and health care costs increase, government and private insurance payers are seeking technological interventions. Technological solutions may provide high quality healthcare services at a distance, utilize professional resources more effectively, and enable elderly and ill patients to remain in their own homes. Patients may experience decreased hospitalization and urgent care settings, and out of home care may not be required as the patient is monitored at home. However, no study has been able to prove telehealth benefits conclusively. This change in health care delivery presents new ethical concerns, and new relationship boundaries between health care professionals, patients, and family members. This paper will discuss telehealth benefits in specific patient populations, costs benefits of using telehealth, and concerns of using telehealth.
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.
What is a Telemetry Nurse? A telemetry nurse is responsible for monitoring, recording and interpreting data regarding a patient's vital signs. Based on this information, they provide care, administer medication, and educate patients about their conditions. What Do They Do? Telemetry nurses are RNs with advanced training who deal only with patients who have ongoing health conditions or experience sudden health services, such as those who have heart problems or those who recently had surgery.
Telepsychiatry has been used for many years and is highly regarded as an area where the use of telemedicine has been successful. It has been defined as “The delivery of healthcare and the exchange of healthcare information for purposes of providing psychiatric services across distances” (Woo...
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
The use of computer technology plays a vital role in society. The use of it alone has made different task easier, by reducing time management, effort, and overall cost in completing a particular task. With the widely vast growth of computer technology in every field of life; the health care services are experiencing an immerse digital progression by the adoption of electronic health record systems through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (Hitech Act).
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.
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.
The economic impact of telehealth is a critical factor to examine when looking at the feasibility of incorporating such technologies into practice. Exploration of economics is also essential as it has been posited that telehealth has the potential to deliver care to individuals that is cost saving in nature (Wade, Karnon, Elshaug, & Hiller, 2010). Furthermore, the estimated expenditure on telehealth services and technology is expected to reach into the billions of dollars (Berger, 2010). However, there are myriad individual elements that may be considered in the broad subject of economics, which complicates determining the economic impact in a parsimonious way (Bergmo, 2009; Wade, et al., 2010).
Telemedicine hold a great promise in health information technology, it not only promises to improve health care delivery but it also aids in serving the most vulnerable of patients.
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.
In other words, ICT basically promotes professionalism and reduce human effort as well as reducing the chances of erring. Healthcare simply means preventing, diagnosing and curing ailments that terminate life and reduce lifespan of human and all living things. In other words, the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical and allied health professions. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) play a vital role in improving health care for humanity. It is efficient in providing, communicating and storing certain information about users and uses. ICT helps in bridging the gap created in health sector and may be used to enhance efficient relationships between the healthcare providers and health researchers. In other words, through the development of databases and other applications, ICT enhances health research and; this provides the capacity to improve health system efficiencies and prevent medical errors. The use of ICT can never be evaluated without
With the help of telehealth and telenursing, overall healthcare costs can be reduced, especially for those patients