There is no doubt that the world never stops changing since each achievement of humanity usually involves a range of opportunities for further development. There are plenty of examples of disruptive innovations in different spheres, and each of them has been able to completely change peoples’ assumptions concerning technology. Such examples include the introduction of personal computers, mobile phones, or new and effective medicinal drugs.
When it comes to the sphere of healthcare, disruptive innovations are usually represented by the transition from one healthcare model to another that provides both specialists in the sphere and clients with extended opportunities. More than that, to be called a disruptive innovation, the novelty should help to improve the quality of healthcare services. The particular innovation that this paper will focus on is ATP, which promises to become an important practice in the future.
ATP is an abbreviation for asynchronous telepsychiatry, which is a practice that involves providing patients with psychiatric help using digital devices that most modern people possess. The use of ATP therefore does not require any special equipment, and it can be stated that there is no need for the development of special equipment and it can reduce the costs of implementation of the method significantly. To begin with, it is important to note that ATP can be used to accomplish a wide range of tasks related to psychiatric care. In reference to the proposed savings, ATP allows providing high-quality services involving positive health outcomes. At the same time, ATP does not involve threats to patient safety; instead, patients with particular disorders such as anxiety feel safer while having online conversations with their healthcare providers. As for costs, implementation of ATP will also help to save money as it decreases the need to build special facilities for violent patients.
It cannot be denied that ATP provides healthcare specialists with an opportunity to shift away from traditional healthcare venues such as hospitals. Instead, the use of ATP allows specialists in psychiatry to conduct consultations with a larger number of patients since the latter do not need to spend time traveling to the hospital or other healthcare facilities to get help. More than that, holding online consultations with those people whose mental conditions are not critical can be regarded as an additional factor allowing healthcare providers to pay increased attention to other patients who need their help. In addition, it is important to note that there is a significant reason explaining the rapid development of ATP. In fact, it is reported by healthcare specialists in different parts of the country that there is a lack of qualified psychiatrists, whereas the number of people who have problems related to mental health is increasing.
The second goal that ATP makes possible is related to the quality and accessibility of service. In fact, the use of ATP helps to provide increasingly affordable and conveniently accessible services to consumers. Importantly, it needs to be mentioned that the use of ATP will not lead to a decrease in the quality of service. First, most specialists holding online consultations are supposed to be working at medical facilities, which means that they have access to any tools or information they need. Also, their work can be supervised by other specialists to ensure a higher quality of service. As for increasing the accessibility of service, the development of ATP can solve problems for many people who are disabled or have special circumstances preventing them from visiting usual consultations.
ATP can be applied in different countries due to the fact that it does not involve the use of equipment that is hard to find. In fact, to provide patients with services using ATP, healthcare specialists only need such equipment as personal computers or laptops, cameras, and microphones. Nowadays, this system of healthcare service delivery is used in California and other states; if the use of ATP results in improved mental health outcomes for patients, it will be important to introduce this system in other areas as well.
Nowadays, the specialists whose work is related to studying and improving ATP claim that it has a range of advantages over common psychotherapy. For instance, it mitigates the risk of negative emotional reactions in patients (such as fear, anger, or anxiety) during consultations. Also, there are many situations in which the use of ATP can be regarded as the best alternative, and this fact helps to define the beneficiaries of the given delivery method. They include children, elderly people, and physically challenged citizens having mental problems (Hilty et al., 2013). Besides, this method of service delivery is particularly good for those with anxiety disorders or post- traumatic stress disorders.
Ultimately, ATP can be considered to be an important healthcare innovation because it extends opportunities for both healthcare providers and patients with mental disorders. Its significance cannot be overestimated: it is beneficial for many categories of patients who have special needs, and its implementation helps to reduce costs related to special facilities for violent patients and to improve the quality of service. As for the latter, it becomes possible as practitioners using ATP are supervised by other specialists.
Reference
Hilty, D. M., Ferrer, D. C., Parish, M. B., Johnston, B., Callahan, E. J., & Yellowlees, P. M. (2013). The effectiveness of telemental health: A 2013 review. Telemedicine and E-Health, 19(6), 444-454.