Important Aspects On Telehealth You May Need To Know

By Ruth Hill


There is no doubt that the world of today is being driven by technology. From finance to manufacturing to human resource, the huge role played by modern technology is closer. The healthcare space has also leveraged on this technological advancement in a bid to make services, available to all and affordable. This is what has created the concept of telehealth.

A number of factors appear to be driving this change. The huge advancement in telecommunication is one of them. Patients and healthcare professionals now find it a lot easier to communicate. The second, is the development of drugs that require little monitoring thus can be easily administered at home.

One of the areas that has greatly benefited from the adoption of this concept is the management of chronic diseases. Conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic renal failure and asthma have often meant that patients pay their physicians regular visits to monitor their progress. This is, however, rapidly changing as many of these patients can be monitored remotely and managed which saves them both money and time.

Telenursing is a concept built around this idea. It involves provision of various nursing services through telecommunication devices. This enables a registered nurse to attend to various clients with chronic illnesses who require home based care. Even without being physically present, the nurse can communicate with the client and advice them as necessary. This makes it possible for one nurse to serve several patients from the comfort of their office.

Telenursing is a category of telemedicine dealing with the provision of nursing services. It is a form of home based care that rides on telecommunication technology. This service is particularly helpful to patients living alone in remote locations. This system increases efficiency as one nurse can monitor several patients at a go. It makes the service affordable by most people who need it.

Like many other major disruptions, this technology faced resistance in its formative stages. Older professionals found it difficult to transition to a form of practice where a significant part of their practice had to be computer driven. Many others feared that telemedicine would replace them as practitioners. However, they have learned to work with the technology after realizing the numerous benefits associated with it.

Patients have had fewer problems making adjustments. A few, however, have some reservations. One area that has been troubling this group is the issue of privacy. They have been worried that information considered to be private and confidential may find itself in the wrong hands. This has turned out not to be as easy as was thought initially due to the use of multilevel security systems.

The use of telecommunication systems in the provision of healthcare services is a train that has already left the station. Stakeholders need to accept and carve out their space. Although a number of concerns still exist, there is no doubt that the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Many patients are projected to be beneficiaries of these systems in years to come.




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