Telehealth and telemedicine are terms that refer to real-time audio-video communication tools that connect providers and patients in different locations; store-and-forward technologies that collect images and data that can later be transmitted and interpreted; and remote patient monitoring tools such as home blood pressure monitors (Balestra, 2018). The rules that define and regulate telehealth are evolving and vary greatly across states, to the point where health care organizations are issuing conflicting guidelines about the standard of care that applies in telehealth encounters.
The time and distance between patients and care providers can limit access to care. Telemedicine has the potential to break down geographical barriers to healthcare, especially for specialized providers. Telemedicine can be especially beneficial for patients in underserved communities and rural areas with a shortage of clinicians.NUR 514 Topic 8 DQ 2 Discuss some benefits and drawbacks of virtual care/telehealth particularly related to the collaboration and coordination of care and the role of the advanced registered nurse
Telemedicine has the potential to improve the quality of care for patients with medical and mental health problems. Patients who used telemedicine had fewer hospital admissions and readmissions, spent less time in the hospital, and were more involved in their healthcare (Care Innovations, n.d.). Telehealth can help nurse practitioners (NPs) who work with patients in a variety of settings improve healthcare delivery to underserved communities.
Telemedicine can increase efficiency of care delivery, reduce expenses of caring for patients or transporting to another location, and can even keep patients out of the hospital. A strong doctor-patient relationship is the foundation for high-quality patient care and reducing health care costs.
Virtual and telehealth technologies in healthcare have truly come a long way over the last decade, however I believe that it has rapidly evolved over the last couple years due to the covid pandemic. “The evolving roles of the Internet, electronic and personal health records, mobile health, health information exchanges, and telehealth all will support a more integrated healthcare model (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022).” I have witnessed pros and cons with the technologies. For example, during the pandemic our ED deployed the use of telemedicine for some specialty consults and for some hospitalists.
This allowed the provider to not have to come to the ED and potentially be exposed and to prevent spread to other patients. Another pro I have experienced was when my grandmother had a stroke and there was not a comprehensive stroke center nearby to get her to in time to start a thrombolytic if needed, but they had a neurologist on virtual/telehealth call 24/7 for stroke consults. After this telehealth bedside consult, the decision was made by the neurologist to administer thrombolytics.
This decision saved her life, she made a full recovery after having a severe CVA. One con with telehealth is the fact that you cannot have a hands-on experience. Sometimes this is necessary to get a full picture as to what is going on with the patient, such as skins, etc. One negative experience I have seen with telehealth was a patient with complaints of chest pain, who was scared to come into the ED due to the covid pandemic. The patient instead had a telehealth visit with their primary physician where the patient’s wife had shared with us that the physician felt the patient did not need to come to the ED.
The patient coded at home shortly thereafter and was brought in via EMS in full arrest. Unfortunately, the patient was unable to be revived. This was a point early in the covid pandemic that really broke me down as a nurse, as this patient might have been someone who if had come to the ED, we might have been able to quickly identify a STEMI, medicate and go to cath lab and save him. The point is, if the patient had been in person, you would’ve likely performed an EKG, rapid troponin or chem 8, checked skins, peripheral pulses and other vitals and this would have led you down a different diagnosis path.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2022). Nursing Informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Jones & Bartlett Learning.NUR 514 Topic 8 DQ 2 Discuss some benefits and drawbacks of virtual care/telehealth particularly related to the collaboration and coordination of care and the role of the advanced registered nurse.
Telehealth is a healthcare technology that implies that a patient acc
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