The inaccessibility of health services to residents of rural areas is one of the critical healthcare issues. Telehealth means can simplify the population’s access to medical services, remove burdens from the healthcare system, and improve many citizens’ health. However, telemedicine requires careful preparation and investment of resources to achieve maximum efficiency. The current paper offers a vision, strategy, and educational plan for implementing a telemedicine program in rural areas of Southern California.
Vision and Strategy
The program’s vision is to ensure high public health levels in Southern California’s rural areas by overcoming accessibility obstacles with telemedicine means.
Strategy
- Problem to solve: Providing telemedicine services to residents of rural Southern California.
- Services provided: The program implies outpatient care: provision of remote consultations, assessments, and interventions via video conferencing and applications (Speyer et al., 2018). Services also include disease prevention and health promotion by providing relevant health information to patients.
- Sponsorship: A $500,000 grant supports program initiation, and additional sponsorship for the program can be obtained through fundraising and attracting donations. Telemedicine services are also covered by insurance for patients in California (California Physical Therapy Association, n.d.).
- Clinical support needs: The team working with patients through telemedicine includes a physician, nurse, telehealth technician, and, if necessary, specialists in narrower disciplines (Orlando et al., 2019).
Personnel Educational Needs
Implementing the telemedicine program requires training and education for staff to adapt to the new realities of work. Educational needs include methods of using equipment and troubleshooting, features of consulting in the form of video conferencing, and communication styles taking into account local culture (Kho et al., 2020). Moreover, staff must be aware of all telemedicine-related policies to ensure patient safety (The Center for Connected Health Policy, n.d.). After introducing services, complications may arise, for example, technical problems, difficulties working in the system, dissatisfaction of patients or providers with programs, and similar aspects. Therefore, training should include problem prevention and ongoing education to address arising issues (Kho et al., 2020). Considering all needs and potential problems, one can offer an educational plan:
Hub Site:
- Studying equipment management and problem-solving related to technology – two days.
- Features of work processes in telemedicine – two days.
- Cultural communication – one day.
- Continuing education – regularly.
Originating site:
- Studying equipment management and problem-solving related to technology – two days.
- Check equipment operation – regularly.
References
California Physical Therapy Association. (n.d.) Telehealth coverage in California. Web.
Kho, J., Gillespie, N., & Martin-Khan, M. (2020). A systematic scoping review of change management practices used for telemedicine service implementations. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 1-16. Web.
Orlando, J. F., Beard, M., & Kumar, S. (2019). Systematic review of patient and caregivers’ satisfaction with telehealth videoconferencing as a mode of service delivery in managing patients’ health. PloS One, 14(8), 1-20. Web.
Speyer, R., Denman, D., Wilkes-Gillan, S., Chen, Y., Bogaardt, H., Kim, J., Heckathorn, D., & Cordier, R. (2018). Effects of telehealth by allied health professionals and nurses in rural and remote areas: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 50(3), 225-235. Web.
The Center for Connected Health Policy. (n.d.). Telehealth policies. Web.