The Introduction of Technology in the Clinical Setting
The introduction of technology into the clinical setting has resulted in the progress of clinical procedures, techniques, and equipment that are constantly improving the quality of treatment provided to patients. These improvements have made it possible to get long-distance patient and professional healthcare education, as well as health administration. Additional educational possibilities are also expanding tremendously for professionals with limited time as well as individuals who require medical counsel and knowledge immediately. Utilizing these technologies can aid in good patient care, particularly for individuals suffering from chronic conditions, by allowing for more efficient consultations, patient education, follow-ups, monitoring, and support. Emerging telemedicine, telerounding, electronic ICU, and other virtual modalities have, thus, promoted interprofessional collaboration and enhanced patient care.
Enhanced Teamwork through Telemedicine
Collaboration among the nurses is an important behavior which is vital for successful contribution, performance, and communication. One way that telemedicine has enhanced teamwork is through enhanced attendance which entails being present for the team task (Jarvis-Selinger, Chan, Payne, Plohman, & Ho, 2008). For instance, a telemedicine robot in the patient's unit would serve as a "priming" mechanism for the nurses who work at the unit. In particular, the robot would activate both behavioral and cognitive concepts as it serves as a visual cue that prompts actions of the healthcare providers. Similarly, nurses may attend more rounds when they visualize the robots in ICU that serves as a reminder of the exact patient case being discussed currently (Rose, 2011). Consequently, staff in the clinic setting and the nurses will be more inclined to attend the rounds for their distinct patients.
Increased Information Exchange through Telemedicine
Telemedicine and other virtual modalities in the hospital have also improved patient care through increased information exchange. Shared visual information act as a mechanism for conversation in a spatial context between the team members and environment (Jarvis-Selinger, Chan, Payne, Plohman, & Ho, 2008). Telemedicine provides the clinicians with access to patients, the vitals, and other unit aspects. Similarly, the technology broadens the social-related visual information by allowing access and distribution of information through video. The effectiveness of this mode of information is through gaze, facial expressions, postures, and non-verbal gestures (Rose, 2011). Telemedicine allows for a more task-based communication through enhanced communication patterns. In particular, it encourages progressive communication in a concurrent manner rather than sequentially (Jarvis-Selinger, Chan, Payne, Plohman, & Ho, 2008). For example, if a patient asks a nurse a question through a video, the nurse is able to respond in the process by nodding his/her head. As such, clinicians carrying out telerounds can use both concurrent and sequential communication patterns since telemedicine affords both verbal and nonverbal communication. This in turn promotes a lot of task-based discussion without using much time.
Benefits of Telehealth
There are various benefits associated with telehealth. When nurses and physicians adopt asynchronous healthcare delivery formats such as emails, there is improved access to treatment and fast diagnosis. Nurses can use the telemedicine channels to communicate with their patients who are able to respond immediately (White, Krousel-Wood, & Mather, 2001). Such technologies also enhance augment screening programs, enhance patient education, and aids in the adherence of protocols of treatment. Information such as follow-ups, prevention education, and specific questions can easily be transmitted to the patient via email or media platforms like Twitter and Facebook; this reduces time allocated for accessing healthcare services (Rose, 2011). Telemedicine also possesses store-and-forward systems that are capable of transferring videos, images, and audio clips for medical data or records from one area to another. This enhances information sharing among physicians and healthcare providers. Tele-ICUs have also been used to fill the void of rural areas that lack specialists. These services help in the provision of right care in a timely manner; this saves time and money while reducing mortality rates in the rural areas.
Challenges of Telehealth
Amidst the benefits of telehealth, this technology has also been faced with challenges. The reduced physical contact between physicians and patients results in the reduced level of trust among the patients (Rose, 2011). The patients, especially the elderly, may also feel intimidated by the technology when they are not able to utilize the features; this can result in the reduced access to healthcare services (Jarvis-Selinger, Chan, Payne, Plohman, & Ho, 2008). Confidentiality has also been compromised by telemedicine; many patients have showed major concern in the uncertainty in their medical consultation privacy. In addition, rural areas may have limited access to the technology due to the lack of proper infrastructure; this might affect the quality of services provided to the patients in these areas.
Ethical Implications of Telemedicine
Several ethical implications have emerged with the use of telemedicine and other technologies to provide healthcare services. There is recurrent tension between commercial healthcare providers and privacy advocates regarding the use of the technologies (White, Krousel-Wood, & Mather, 2001). Legal issues have risen in the past years involving malpractice, licensure, privacy, safety and standards, confidentiality, and security. These factors are addressed in various countries to ensure that the effectiveness of telehealth is enhanced. In the United States, the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 had been introduced to support the delivery of healthcare and education that is more effective (Rose, 2011). It has also improved the access of healthcare services in the rural areas; this has been achieved through training professionals, building better infrastructure, and promoting the technology use in these areas.
References
Jarvis-Selinger, S., Chan, E., Payne, R., Plohman, K., & Ho, K. (2008). Clinical telehealth across the disciplines: lessons learned. Telemedicine and e-Health, 14(7), 720-725.
Rose, L. (2011). Interprofessional collaboration in the ICU: how to define?. Nursing in critical care, 16(1), 5-10.
White, L. A. E., Krousel-Wood, M. A., & Mather, F. (2001). Technology meets healthcare: distance learning and telehealth. The Ochsner Journal, 3(1), 22-29.
