Telehealth

Telehealth is not really a new phenomenon because nurses have been using the phone to check in with patients for many years. However, the concept of telehealth is to use the new smart phones and electronic devices to do more than check with patients verbally. Telehealth allows nurses and other healthcare providers to use electronic communications and telecommunications technologies to perform long distance clinical health care with data sent over the smart phone. For instance, some of the telehealth technologies allow providers to check a patient’s vital signs from a remote location. They can also video conference with a patient in real time and see how the patient is doing. One of the main benefits of telehealth is patient safety and improved outcomes. Telehealth is able to perform many different functions because of the variety, quality and level of complexity of the software that is used. Because of this newly innovated software, and old concept is advanced and the result is better patient safety and outcomes.

The Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) defines telehealth “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” (Halpren-Ruder, 2019). Halpren-Ruder (2019) of Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare (PSQH) lists the technologies used in telehealth as: “video conferencing, the internet, store and forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications” (Halpren-Ruder, 2019). He also explains that telehealth can be divided into 4 categories: interactive video conferencing, store and forward, patient monitoring, and mobile telehealth (mHealth). Video conferencing allows the patient and the provider to see and hear each other in real time. Store and forward is nearly the same as teleconferencing except that the interaction between patient and provider is not in real time. Patient monitoring is also done like store and forward usually with monitoring devices sent home with patients. Most commonly this is used for monitoring exacerbation of congestive heart failure. mHealth or mobile telehealth is a catch-all phrase for these other categories using mobile technology such as a smart phone or a monitoring device that is connected to smart phone technology (Halpren-Ruder, 2019). These different functions of telehealth are the result of various software programs that allow smart phones and devices to perform them.

Telehealth and Patient Safety

Telehealth can improve patient safety simply by monitoring their vital signs or other aspects of healthcare using a specific type of software. If the patient’s blood pressure, for instance, suddenly drops, a provider would detect it if the telehealth device equipped with the monitoring software sends an alarm. The provider could ring the patient and explain to the patient what to do. Telehealth can also improve patient safety in other ways too. The World Health Organization (WHO) (2019) explains that providers can use telehealth to guide patients or their caregivers through certain procedures while the patient remains at home. This would be done with the teleconferencing software. Other health care workers in remote settings can also use telehealth for guidance from professionals elsewhere (WHO, 2019). Both of these examples of the use of telehealth result in better patient safety.

Telehealth Software

The software used is important to the operation of the technology that is used in telehealth, but also important for the safety of patients. WHO (2019) says, “Well-designed telehealth schemes can improve health care access and outcomes, particularly for chronic disease treatment and for vulnerable groups” (WHO, 2019). One way that telehealth improves patient outcomes is through increasing patient safety even if the patients are at home. Monteagudo, Salvador, and Kun (2014) of Health Technologies explain that there are a wide range of technologies such as smart sensors, wireless networks and software that comprise telehealth. They offer the example of “biomedical equipment used by the patients [that] is different by conception and destination of use of the equipment operated by professionals in healthcare institutions (Monteagudo, Salvador, & Kun, 2014, p. 85). The software on the device that the patients use is different than what the provider uses because the functions of the two devices are different. The patient’s device is used to gather the information and send it. The provider’s device is used to receive and analyze the information and sound an alarm if something goes wrong.

Other functions that telehealth software can perform that improve patient safety include: “address issues such as local adverse events prevention, detection and report; adherence of patients to protocols; physical and environmental risks at patient home; performance of healthcare professionals; equipment and software compliance with safety standards and regulations, and control of technological evolution and operation routines” (Monteagudo, Salvador, & Kun, 2014, p. 88). Besides performing these functions, most software can also track the changes, incidents and alarms that occur so that telehealth professionals who maintain the devices can ensure that they are working properly.

Conclusion

Telehealth took an invention from yesteryear and updated it to serve more uses for more people. Perhaps one of the best ways the phone has been upgraded is through the software that allows healthcare providers and their patients to interact even if the patient is in a remote location. By allowing for monitoring of patient condition, medication, environment and other aspects, healthcare providers can ensure that the patient is remaining safe despite their distance. Telehealth software has made it possible to increase access to health care, increase patient safety and improve patient outcomes.

References

Halpren-Ruder, D. (2019, November 2). Telehealth: A Primer. Retrieved from Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare (PSQH): https://www.psqh.com/analysis/...

Monteagudo, J. L., Salvador, C. H., & Kun, L. (2014). Envisioning patient safety in Telehealth: a research perspective. Health Technology, 4, 79-83. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...

WHO. (2019). Telehealth. Retrieved from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/sustainabl...


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