Introduction
Telehealth involves using various technologies to deliver care to patients utilizing interactive audio, video, and any convenient communication system. Such electronic systems enable health practitioners to monitor and transmit data on a patient’s history remotely. Moreover, patients can also benefit from their use, making access to services easier (Betancourt et al., 2020).
This topic presents valuable insights into a changing world, especially with the onset of the coronavirus that forced many industries to turn to remote technologies. As a result, telehealth supports long-distance health care for patients, health-related education, and public health administration (Kruse et al., 2017). The research process involved searches in the Summon database using keywords such as ‘telehealth,’ ‘telemedicine,’ and ‘quality care.’ This annotated bibliography thus reviews the literature on the benefits, limitations, and uses of telehealth systems in improving overall patient safety and quality.
Annotated Bibliography
Betancourt, J. A., Rosenberg, M. A., Zevallos, A., Brown, J. R., & Mileski, M. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on telemedicine utilization across multiple service lines in the United States. Healthcare, 8(4), 380.
This article reviews the increased use of telemedicine in 2020 after the global COVID-19 pandemic affected the world. A large number of health providers thus increased their capacity by implementing these systems to cope with the changes in society requiring social distancing. The research aimed to identify the measures implemented to maintain patient access to critical services while meeting high safety standards. The methodology involved reviewing and analyzing published articles searched from two databases using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The analyzed data shows a 14% increase in patient enrollment in telehealth programs in 2020, while providers deployed the system to the tune of approximately 48% (Betancourt et al., 2020). Furthermore, the rapid expansion of telehealth into the health industry shows heightened control to reduce the spread of infections in health settings.
The main themes in the analysis showed that reducing risks and improving access to health care were the most important factors leading to the use of the systems. Other potential benefits of the deployment of telehealth included reduced costs, convenience, patient satisfaction, HIPAA compliance, and the promotion of social distancing requirements. However, identified challenges included the lack of internet connectivity across different regions, low infrastructure capabilities, lack of reimbursement parity, and discomfort with the telehealth systems. Consequently, interdisciplinary health teams can implement workflow adaptations in their delivery of care to patients. Telehealth, thus, provides a viable solution for health practitioners and patients at such times of crisis to ensure continuity of high-quality service provision.
Henry, B. W., Block, D. E., Ciesla, J. R., McGowan, B. A., & Vozenilek, J. A. (2017). Clinician behaviors in telehealth care delivery: A systematic review. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 22(4), 869−888.
This research identified a gap in the analysis of interpersonal behaviors that affect workforce development. As a result, this study reviewed the role of these behaviors in healthcare providers during the use of telehealth services. Utilizing telehealth has reduced barriers to access while also enabling the spread of health services across larger regional spectrums. Transmission technologies used in these systems include high-amplitude radio frequencies, terrestrial telephone networks, internet-based modalities, and wireless communication (Henry et al., 2017). The methodology involved literature reviews in describing patient-provider communication as employed in telehealth systems. From the analysis, pre-interactional elements such as attitude and belief played an essential role in the ease of adoption of telehealth in clinical settings. Therefore, the willingness of nurses and physicians to implement the system required an understanding of its benefits to patients and improved quality of care.
A potential barrier to the success of telehealth thus involved the lack of confidence in nurses in using the system. Apart from that, a review of verbal communication showed the reduced time between patients, with providers being more efficient. However, a downside to this involved the dwindling of socialization between the nurse and patient, common in traditional face-to-face methods. Consequently, an understanding of interpersonal elements in telehealth systems can increase their acceptance into the industry. Improving the cultural cues during communication with patients can thus better service delivery, ensuring its efficacy. Therefore, the authors suggest that reducing potential risks in communication can guarantee an increase in the use of these systems in healthcare settings, thus, becoming an extension of high-quality care.
Kruse, C. S., Krowski, N., Rodriguez, B., Tran, L., Vela, J., & Brooks, M. (2017). Telehealth and patient satisfaction: A systematic review and narrative analysis. BMJ Open, 7(8), 1−12.
The authors review the expanding role of telehealth in the industry, with more health practitioners moving to use these systems to interact with their patients. Furthermore, the aspect of patient satisfaction is also analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the systems employed. The methodology included a review and analysis of articles that involved criteria of telehealth and patient satisfaction (Kruse et al., 2017). From the results, it was evident that telehealth reduced challenges brought by proximity by allowing remote interactions between a physician and patients. Furthermore, more patients perceived the care coordination systems to be effective in their treatment programs.
Higher patient satisfaction shows the greater efficacy of telehealth systems in improving health conditions. However, an identified limitation of the systems is resistance to technological changes, especially in older populations. Patients with chronic conditions can further benefit from using these solutions due to the limited need for travel and the reduced costs. As a result, telehealth provides a feasible option for health institutions to expand their health delivery options over longer distances, thus reaching greater populations. More so, interdisciplinary healthcare teams can respond to more patients while reducing instances of missed appointments, readmissions, and wait times. Despite such challenges, telehealth is recommended due to its ability to exceed patient expectations through the use of technology such as videoconferencing.
Polinski, J. M., Barker, T., Gagliano, N., Sussman, A., Brennan, T. A., & Shrank, W. H. (2016). Patients’ satisfaction with and preference for telehealth visits. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 31(3), 269–275.
The authors analyzed the behavior of patients visiting a program provided by CVS MinuteClinics. Data showed that approximately 25% of citizens in the United States lack primary care providers (Polinski et al., 2016). Furthermore, physicians were overwhelmed with the high number of patients hence lacking the opportunity to take on more. The methodology employed in this study involved 1734 patients participating in eleven clinics that analyzed patient communication with an assisting nurse to diagnose and recommend treatment plans (Polinski et al., 2016). The meeting further uses technology such as telephonic stethoscopes and digital video otoscopes that relay video and audio information to the remote practitioner and nurse. The research shows that the outcomes of telehealth visits are comparable to traditional methods showing the efficacy of the systems.
Patients stated that the benefits of the system included shorter wait times, satisfaction with the high quality of care provided, the ability to hear and see the practitioner properly, and the convenience of the system. Telehealth further shows efficacy in disciplines, including mental health, dermatology, cardiology, and internal medicine. A significant predictor of the preference for this system was the lack of medical insurance by the patients. This shows that the majority of people would prefer to use telehealth systems due to their cheap costs compared to traditional methods. Additionally, interdisciplinary health teams can access patient information in real-time to aid in the diagnostic process using advanced tools. Therefore, the benefits of such systems include convenience and timely access to medical care using technology by patients and health providers.
Conclusion
Telehealth is proving to be a formidable force in the health industry due to its ability to provide high-quality care and safety standards. Additionally, the use of interactive technologies is cost-efficient, convenient, and timely for both providers and patients. Efficacy data shows that the use of telehealth is consistent with high standards experienced in traditional face-to-face methods of care delivery. As a result, it provides an alternative for regions located in remote areas by allowing potential patients to interact with healthcare providers using telecommunication methods.
The limitations provided include resistance to changes in technology, lack of socialization between involved parties, lack of reimbursement parity, internet access issues, and infrastructure challenges in health institutions. Investment in these systems can ensure the availability of equipment and technology required to support its implementation. Furthermore, educating both providers and patients on the benefits of telehealth can also increase acceptance and success rates by using evidence-based practices. As a result, patients can get access to health services from the comfort of their homes, enabling the management of chronic conditions such as cancer. More so, health providers can monitor patients remotely to improve adherence to treatment regimens and offer assistance as required. The continued prevalence of COVID-19 further pushes for the need for such technological interventions that minimize physical contact. Therefore, telehealth will continually become a critical aspect of health delivery in the medical field with time with improvements that maintain high-quality care and patient safety in the long run.