Telehealth technology can change the strategies that hospitals use to deliver care to their patients. The introduction of video- and Internet-based devices provides many benefits to people who cannot access treatment in traditional ways. For example, many individuals live in areas without hospitals and have to spend significant time and resources to reach a facility. Other persons may not have the ability to travel due to an injury or limited mobility. Telehealth can solve these problems and help these people talk to a medical professional without leaving their house. The present report will analyze a study by Powell, Stone, and Hollander (2018). The authors investigated a telehealth scheduled video visit program introduced to a health system of multiple hospitals. First, the précis of the examined research will be developed. Then, the mind map will be constructed to discuss the topic of telehealth video visits. Finally, a conclusion will be presented to summarize the information and outline the implications for future practice.
Précis
Powell et al. (2018) studied the outcomes of implementing a system-wide telehealth scheduled video visit program on patients, clinicians, and the organization. The authors employed a mixed methods study by conducting a retrospective descriptive report about the installation of the technology and a survey of patients to capture their experiences with the new technology. During the 18 months of the project’s introduction, more than 3000 visits were completed, and 764 patients contributed to the survey and shared their experiences. Powell et al. (2018) discovered that more than 90% of all surveyed participants were satisfied with the scheduled video visits, and around 80% of patients found that this approach to visitation was similar in quality to face-to-face appointments. Moreover, more than 85% of people stated that the use of telehealth made it easier for them to access care, with around a half of respondents saving 1-3 hours and another half saving more than 3 hours of their time (Powell et al., 2018). These findings are essential to the field of healthcare provision because they demonstrate how telehealth can help medical professionals reach under-served populations and save patients’ time and resources.
Mind Map Discussion
The developed mind mad shows how telehealth video visits can impact the field of clinical care. First of all, the benefits of introducing this program should be recognized. Telehealth can improve the healthcare system for patients, clinicians, and the organization. Patients will save money and time because they will not need to travel to the hospital. Moreover, people who cannot leave their house or use transportation will be able to visit a doctor. Medical professionals will reach more patients, getting a deeper understanding of the population health. If the visits are scheduled, they also may take less time than real-life ones since the issue of lateness may be eliminated. For the organization, access to new patients and their positive feedback about innovative approaches will be advantageous as it will raise the facility’s status and recognition.
Apart from directly benefiting patients and clinicians, telehealth visits can also address the needs of specific populations. It may be easier for specialists to monitor the health of patients with limited mobility with the use of video visits. According to Powell, Henstenburg, Cooper, Hollander, and Rising (2017), most patients view the option of speaking with their provider online positively, feeling as though their needs are met. Thus, the introduction of this system can increase adherence to medical advice and treatment plans as well as strengthen patient-clinician relationships.
Telehealth can be utilized in both urban and rural settings. In remote locations, video visits address such problems as access to care and resources needed for travel. In large cities, telehealth may be beneficial due to the high density of the population, which implies long waiting times and limited access to professionals. If video visits are scheduled online, they can take less time for patients and lower the burden on healthcare providers.
Furthermore, sessions can be recorded and analyzed, which will simplify the process of data collection for studies. Currently, telehealth trends include using the gathered information for healthcare research (Dorsey & Topol, 2016). Thus, this program’s implications for research are also crucial to consider – the archives of video visits can become a source of knowledge for future investigations. The use of telehealth can help in nurses’ education as well since it eliminates the need to travel to remote locations.
Conclusion
The introduction of telehealth scheduled video visits to a hospital can change many areas of healthcare provision and benefit all stakeholders. For patients, telehealth is a way of accessing care without spending significant resources. Moreover, it can be an only option for individuals with limited mobility or inability to travel. Patients respond positively to video visits and report that the quality of care does not decrease in comparison to real-life appointments. Healthcare providers also save time and resources by using telehealth, but their outreach to patients is increased dramatically. Video visits contribute to research as well since they create a foundation for data mining. Overall, the implementation of video visits is an initiative that may be useful in a variety of settings.
References
Dorsey, E. R., & Topol, E. J. (2016). State of telehealth. New England journal of medicine, 375(2), 154-161.
Powell, R. E., Henstenburg, J. M., Cooper, G., Hollander, J. E., & Rising, K. L. (2017). Patient perceptions of telehealth primary care video visits. The Annals of Family Medicine, 15(3), 225-229.
Powell, R. E., Stone, D., & Hollander, J. E. (2018). Patient and health system experience with implementation of an enterprise-wide telehealth scheduled video visit program: Mixed-methods study. JMIR Medical Informatics, 6(1), e10.