W6 HP-Discussion Response

W6 HP-Discussion Response

Anu,

Thank you for sharing your post. Telemedicine has recently become significantly important because of the increased development and deployment of digital technologies. In this perilous time of COVID-19, the lack of effective treatments as well as the mandatory social distancing, has resulted in telemedicine being the safest way for patients (whether infected or not) and physicians to interact. There are a few potential scenarios, which are evidence-based, for telemedicine which has been hypothesized. Among these is the use of telemedicine in the management of diabetes and monitoring of complications, among other diseases such as CVD (Galiero et al., 2020). In the general population, telehealth can become a basic need even among patients and healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially so when people are in quarantine, as it will enable patients to contact their healthcare providers in real time for advice on their health challenges. Thus, telemedicine can and has been used to prevent, diagnose, treat, and control diseases during the pandemic (Monaghes & Hajizadeh, 2020).

There are several benefits, as you have noted that are linked to telemedicine, especially in routine care and non-emergency medicine, and also in scenarios where services do not call for direct interaction between patients and care providers, such as accessing psychological services. Remotely accessed care minimizes the utilization of resources in healthcare facilities, enhances access to care, and reduces the risk of direct transmission from one person to another of the infectious agent. Additionally, telemedicine keeps people safe even as it also keeps the general public, healthcare professionals, and patients safe. Also, it provides wide access to healthcare providers (Chauhan et al., 2020). Hence, this technological advancement in healthcare provision is an attractive, affordable, and effective option for all stakeholders (Mehrotra et al., 2016). Although this is the case, there are several hindrances to the efficient use of telemedicine. The barriers depend, to a large extent, on insurance, payment systems, and accreditation. Moreover, some physicians have expressed concerns over the clinical and technical quality, accountability, privacy, and safety (Greenhalg et al., 2020a; Greenhalg et al., 2020b)

References

Chauhan, V., Galwankar, S., Arquilla, B., Garg, M., Di Somma, S., El-Menyar, A., … & Stawicki, S. P. (2020). Novel coronavirus (COVID-19): Leveraging telemedicine to optimize care while minimizing exposures and viral transmission. Journal of emergencies, trauma, and shock, 13(1), 20.

Galiero, R., Pafundi, P. C., Nevola, R., Rinaldi, L., Acierno, C., Caturano, A., … & Sasso, F. C. (2020). The Importance of Telemedicine during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Focus on Diabetic Retinopathy. Journal of diabetes research, 2020.

Greenhalgh, T., Koh, G. C. H., & Car, J. (2020b). Covid-19: a remote assessment in primary care. Bmj, 368.

Greenhalgh, T., Wherton, J., Shaw, S., & Morrison, C. (2020a). Video consultations for covid-19.

Mehrotra, A., Jena, A. B., Busch, A. B., Souza, J., Uscher-Pines, L., & Landon, B. E. (2016). Utilization of telemedicine among rural Medicare beneficiaries. Jama, 315(18), 2015-2016.

Monaghesh, E., & Hajizadeh, A. (2020). The role of telehealth during COVID-19 outbreak: a systematic review based on current evidence. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1-9.

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W6 HP-Discussion Response

Telehealth has a broader scope compared to telemedicine. When you say telemedicine, it only refers to remote clinical services. Telemedicine is a subset of telehealth; this refers specifically to providing health care services to patients, while telehealth can pertain to training, meetings, and continuing medical education related to health. For example, online consultation of a sick baby to a pediatrician is called telemedicine, while online meetings within hospital staff on how to lessen COVID transmission are called telehealth.

While telehealth is considered beneficial this COVID times, it also has its cons. Nevertheless, let me enumerate first the benefits of telehealth. This is used chiefly today because this prevents transmission of the virus since there are asymptomatic COVID patients. The convenience at home is just excellent. You can conduct meetings at home, even when you are in your pajamas. Meanwhile, the disadvantages of telehealth are as follows:

-It might not be available to everyone, especially those who do not have or cannot afford the internet.

-This can be used if you have the device; not all people have the available gadgets needed.

-There might be security issues since everything is done online.

Golub et al. (2021) denote that the shift to telehealth has reduced capacity for in-person clinical preparation for a few learners, counting residents and colleagues.

Today, most physicians have access to telemedicine except for emergency cases. Healthcare providers and patients benefit from this type of consultation. Let me enumerate first its help to health care providers. Physicians can reduce overhead expenses. For instance, he will not be paying any more for secretary fees since this is done online. This will limit them from being exposed to the virus. However, telemedicine may not be accurate sometimes because of the inability to physically examine the patient. For example, the patient complains of abdominal pain. Since palpation is essential, this cannot be done, and the patient cannot be adequately diagnosed. Some clinicians might be new to technology and do not know how to navigate the internet. Villines (2020) determined that telemedicine works well for any condition that does not require research facility tests or a physical examination Telemedicine may provide patients with reduced expenses. Instead of lending some money for transportation aside from consultation, they will not spend more anymore. It is more convenient for patients. They can access consultation everywhere, anywhere, and just by using their cellphone. Of course, this prevents you from being exposed to people, thus ensuring you do not contract COVID. However, some consultations may not be covered by telemedicine. There is also a tendency that security and patient information might be breached through the online portal. This is not advisable in emergencies because there might be care delays.

References
Villines, Z. (2020) Telemedicine benefits, disadvantages, and uses.

Golub, S. A., Pham, D., Breuner, C., & Evans, Y. (2021). 83. Evaluating the Educational Impact of Telehealth on Adolescent MEDICINE TRAINEES. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(2). doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.12.092