The coronavirus epidemic has caused the need for the application of telemedicine.
Fresno Medical Center needs to change its policy.
The new coronavirus infection is characterized by a rapidly developing and often unpredictable course of the disease. In the case of late treatment, late initiation of therapy, or inadequate treatment, the course of the disease is often complicated. In such situations, timely qualified intervention is crucial. In the current epidemic situation, when severe restrictions on physical contact between patients and medical personnel were introduced and face-to-face appointments and consultations were temporarily suspended, telemedicine is becoming a common and everyday phenomenon. It can help healthcare practitioners fight COVID-19 by introducing solutions and remedies for chronic diseases at home. With the growing demand for telemedicine, Fresno Medical Center needs to change its policy. It is imperative to ensure a smooth and unified transition to such a method of providing medical services.
The coronavirus has exacerbated the problem of capacity shortages (Becker, 2020).
Fresno will comply with the Government Code section requirements (FSMB, 2021).
Fresno Medical Center faced a limited number of intensive care units in the hospital. This problem has arisen in connection with the coronavirus epidemic and is observed in many healthcare providers (Becker, 2020). Accordingly, Fresno was forced to address this problem promptly. Real meetings were replaced with online sessions. For organizations involved in the provision of health services, it is necessary to quickly resolve the issues associated with the quality standards of telemedicine. In particular, it is considered that service providers should obtain written or verbal consent before using telemedicine services (FSMB, 2021). However, to date, the medical center has not yet developed the principles for the provision of telemedicine services.
Since social distancing is not enough to reduce coronavirus cases (Bohmer et al., 2020), telemedicine is a timely method to address the growth of disease (Klein, 2020).
The epidemic obligates the authorities to ensure the safety of certain groups of the population, including the elderly and people exposed to COVID-19; they should receive daily care without being infected. Social distancing is not enough; it is only part of the set of measures to prevent the virus from spreading (Bohmer et al., 2020). Congress passed the bill with an $ 8.3 billion emergency package. Its goal was to expand access to telemedicine for Medicare beneficiaries during COVID-19. Thus, telemedicine is a timely method of solving problems, corresponding to the legislative acts regulating the response to the wave of diseases (Klein, 2020). Furthermore, telemedicine helps to reduce hospital costs and reduce the harmful influence on patients.
Medical staff will have to undergo training to use the technology successfully
Medical staff who have not previously interacted with the telemedicine system will have to undergo training to use the technology successfully. Such educational services will help in understanding the scale of telemedicine. The creation of an exclusive telemedicine network will address bandwidth, image transmission, and compatibility issues and replace internal LANs. It is also necessary to integrate a non-disclosure protocol that demonstrates that the company adheres to maintaining the confidentiality of patient health information. Organizations providing services in the health care sector need to create a patient consent form to administer services. This document should contain information about potential health claims that the patient may face and possible operational threats.
Healthcare should develop an informed consent form for prompt consultation (The Washington State Nursing Association, 2018).
It is important to warn patients of all potential health risks associated with the use of telehealth medicine.
Doctors worldwide use telemedicine technologies to provide medical care remotely, consult with colleagues on complex cases, and train young professionals. When implementing this technology, it is essential to analyze and modernize the computer and telecommunication resources of your organization and identify the problems of personal data protection. In telemedicine technologies, it is necessary to observe medical secrecy and the requirements imposed by legislation in the field of personal data. In other words, the electronic interaction “doctor-patient” should be carried out using special programs or systems that have a safety certificate.
Clinics and medical centers are faced with a large amount of personal data.
Overcoming security threats requires the implementation of a robust management system (Walker, 2021).
With the development of information technology, the transition of medical institutions to a new level of processing and storage of personal data has accelerated. The need to ensure data security is vital to avoid the risks of information leakage. If such a situation occurs, the hospital’s reputation may be damaged, and the patient will have the right to go to court. Patient data processing is a multidimensional process that requires sophisticated analytical techniques. Overcoming potential security threats requires the implementation of a robust management system. It is essential to keep in mind that the quality of services may decrease if the hospitals resort to a basic internet connection.
Evaluation
Aspects to be considered
There are several ways of evaluating telemedicine services that researchers have developed over the years.
Most publications view telemedicine as a promising area of ​​health care that contributes to overcoming costly mechanisms in the industry, reducing the burden on the budget, accelerating the adaptation of healthcare to the conditions of a market economy. At the same time, there are several publications in which the commercial attractiveness of telemedicine is being questioned. To determine the effectiveness of telemedicine services, a hospital must examine critical metrics, including delays in accessing specialists and consultations, adherence to clinical protocols, the accuracy of diagnosis, and compliance with provider performance standards. The clinics should pay attention to such indicators as the level of patient satisfaction with the services provided and the average waiting times cost per case.
Opportunities: Considering the requirements for telemedicine services
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the quick response of medical workers is crucial.
Consideration should be given to the environmental and physical requirements of telehealth services.
In telemedicine, remote consultations and patient diagnostics are considered the most widespread and popular services. With the help of specialized video conferencing systems, a full-fledged audiovisual contact is established between the consultant doctor, his assistant, and the patient himself. They can see and hear each other and exchange graphic and text data. Consideration should also be given to the environmental and physical requirements of telehealth services. Rooms for clients or patients should be large enough to accommodate the camera operator. The rooms should be equipped with infection control systems to ensure safety during an epidemic. In general, to take full advantage of the benefits of telemedicine, the technical platform must meet specific, stringent requirements.
References
Barria, C. (Photographer).(2020). President Donald Trump signs the Congressional funding bill for coronavirus response. Web.
Becker, R. (2020). California’s intensive care nightmare: Which hospitals are full? Cal Matters. Web.
Bohmer, R., Pisano, G., Sadum, R., and Tsai, T. (2020). How hospitals can manage supply shortages as demand surges. Harvard Business Review. Web.
FSMB. (2021). U.S. states and territories modifying requirements for telehealth in response to covid-19. Federation of State Medical Boards. Web.
Kidholm, K., Clemensen, J., Caffery, L. J., & Smith, A. C. (2017). The model for assessment of telemedicine (MAST): A scoping review of empirical studies. Journal of telemedicine and telecare, 23(9), 803–813. Web.
Klein, J. (2020). Telemedicine and COVID-19: managing the risk. Coverys. Web.
Lee, E. (2020). Statistics on the perception of telemedicine by employers and workers. Kaiser Permanente. Web.
Security threats in healthcare systems . (2019). CTI. Web.
Walker, K. (2021). Cloud security alliance new telehealth risk management guidance to help ensure privacy and security of patient information. BusinessWire. Web.
The Washington State Nurses Association. (2018). Telemedicine: Risk management issues, strategies, and resources. Web.