NRP/590: Final Preceptorship
Wk 1 – Telehealth
1. Write a 350-word paper in which you argue the advantages and disadvantages to telehealth.
2. Consider the following:
The scope of telehealth services offered by the NP
The risk involved, such as patient privacy and security risks of your telehealth systems
Legal implications, such as the federal and state laws and regulations related to telehealth
Available resources from the American Telemedicine Association (https://www.americantelemed.org/) for implementing telehealth best practices and practice guidelines.
Standardized clinical protocols for telehealth communication to ensure prompt responses, consistency, quality, and efficiency of telehealth services
3. Format your assignment according to 7th edition APA guidelines.
4. Cite references and list references in 7th edition APA format.
5. Requires at least 1 scholarly peer reviewed reference.

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Solution

Telehealth uses computers and mobile devices to provide healthcare services remotely. Telehealth allows medical professionals to provide services to patients without seeing them in person. Telehealth services ensure patients get treatment from their physicians, making healthcare more accessible to people who cannot physically attend a clinic or doctor. The scope of this service might include all facets of telemedicine. It might range from providing health education to reading test results to patients in different nations. However, there are challenges in the telehealth sector that have certain disadvantages.

In addition to enabling patients to get treatment at their leisure, telehealth provides the potential to enhance provider opportunities. Patient convenience is a significant benefit for people who live in rural regions or cannot drive long distances. Telehealth can help families with educational, health, time, and financial concerns by reducing travel (Boothe et al., 2021). Patients who keep in touch with their doctors may obtain excellent treatment while saving money. Services delivered at the patient’s home may be more convenient and simplify physician engagement. Telehealth education may help clients and caregivers. Health care professionals may contact or visit clients’ homes to educate them about their health issues and treatment alternatives.

While telehealth offers many advantages, it also has several drawbacks. Physical tests and personal touch are required to provide the best possible treatment to patients. The ability to obtain patient data via video conferences is limited. There will be no subjective or objective data for patient documentation without a physical examination. Telemedicine cannot provide physical examinations for some medical conditions (Degerli and Ozkan-Yildirim, 2021). Incorrect diagnoses by a monitor may result in legal issues for the healthcare provider, significantly affecting patient safety. The healthcare provider must obey all relevant telehealth regulations regarding technology and licensing. Because telehealth allows practitioners to connect with patients across state lines, they risk being sued if they do not have the required licenses, credentials, and training (Balestra, 2018). The Board of Nursing may sue a provider who lacks multistate support or only has a single state license. They must be licensed to practice telehealth in other states and have acceptable credentials. Additionally, patient safety and confidentiality can be a significant concern in telemedicine. While technology is constantly evolving and getting safer, there may be a case of data leakage. This will invade patient privacy and confidentiality.

When meeting with the healthcare provider remotely, telehealth provides a number of benefits, including ease of access, low travel costs, and no time constraints. Another advantage of telehealth is that it enables people to understand their health better while also allowing them to interact with others online to ask questions and gain further information. When properly documented and preserved, telehealth benefits both professionals and the general community. When a doctor can only observe a patient through a computer and is unable to examine them to ascertain their health status physically, patient complications arise. The client’s requirements determine this, and individuals with more severe illnesses or problems should see their physicians in person for a more complete and efficient treatment.

References

Balestra, M. (2018). Telehealth and legal implications for nurse practitioners. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 14(1), 33-39. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1555415517308085

Boothe, E., West, B., Hendon, L. G., Kaplan, J. D., & Kirmse, B. (2021). Asynchronous telemedicine for clinical genetics consultations in the NICU: a single center’s solution. Journal of Perinatology, 1-7. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41372-021-01070-1

Degerli, M., & Ozkan-Yildirim, S. (2021). Telemedicine in the Current New Normal: Opportunities and Barriers. Enhanced Telemedicine and e-Health: Advanced IoT Enabled Soft Computing Framework, 27-39. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-70111-6_2.pdf