In today’s evolving healthcare landscape, telehealth services can be found throughout the healthcare continuum, helping to connect patient care team members to their patients.
New advances in telehealth services have driven the technologies application beyond virtual consultations to include remote monitoring, real-time health updates, and fully remote consulting services through smartphone or computer applications.
Although challenges persist with the accessibility and availability of telehealth services – the rise in this amenity is quickly laying the groundwork for future medical practices.
Defining Telehealth Services?
Telehealth services allow healthcare providers to connect with new and established patients without an in-person office visit. It is often used as a general term to describe healthcare service interactions from across the healthcare continuum. This includes but is not limited to patient care services, hospital billing, financial and prescription services, legal consultations, and more.
While most associate telehealth services as an amenity typically administered over online video-conferencing platforms, current iterations can include phone calls, secured text messages, or secure patient portal communications. As telehealth services continue to grow in popularity, existing healthcare institutions along with new healthcare providers are utilizing smartphone and desktop applications to better connect with patients and ease access to care.
Telehealth Vs. Telemedicine
While telehealth and telemedicine services carry many similarities. While telehealth is often used to describe a general set of services across varying departments and operations, telemedicine services are far more succinct, focusing exclusively on the clinical aspects of healthcare. Telemedicine is administered exclusively by nurses, specialists, physicians, practitioners, and more.
Who Utilizes Telehealth Services?
Telehealth can be utilized by each member of the healthcare team to connect with patients and administer care. Some healthcare professionals who utilize telehealth services include:
- Pharmacists
- Registered Nurses
- Physicians
- Nutritionists
- Specialists-Care Physicians
- Oncologists
- Patient Service Representatives
- Clinical Mental Health Counselors
- Home Health Providers
- Health Service Managers
Telehealth Services in Practice
Telehealth services can look different based on what specific service is being administered. Here are some examples of clinicians and administrators in healthcare use telehealth:
- Nurses use telemedicine to check patient vitals and perform health assessments.
- Dermatologists use telemedicine to examine patients with skin conditions.
- Specialists use telemedicine to review lab results or consult on x-ray results.
- Clinics use telemedicine to connect with patients to answer health-related questions.
- Billing uses telemedicine to connect with patients to work out bill discrepancies.
When is Telehealth Appropriate to Use?
Telehealth services can vary depending on a variety of factors such as the scope of a medical visit, the network capabilities of the provider, and the network abilities of the patient. While telehealth would not be ideal for helping to set a fracture or deal with internal bleeding, counseling, routine check-ups, and prescription consultations. Appropriate examples of telehealth services include:
- Online counseling services
- Medication management and refill consultations
- Medical results follow-up for x-rays, bloodwork, or biopsy
- Follow-ups for surgical recovery or physical therapy
- Urgent care consultations for common colds, the flu, or COVID-19
How do Patients Access Telehealth?
Since telehealth is available online, patients can access services from anywhere with cellular or internet connectivity. In addition, the flexibility of telehealth services allows patients to connect with providers without needing to travel to a physical location. Some locations include:
- From home
- From work
- While boarding at school
- While on vacation
- On a business trip
Disadvantages of Telehealth
Although telehealth services offer great options for those who can access them, there is still a significant portion of the population who are unable to benefit from telehealth due to issues with accessibility, affordability, and privacy. While providers work diligently to work with and around these issues, challenges remain. Here are some common difficulties of telehealth services:
- Poor internet/cellular connection or no internet/cellular connection at all
- Difficulties in accessing the correct technology for appointments.
- Difficulties in understanding how to use technology to access telehealth services.
- Concerns relating to patient privacy within their home or other setting.
- Lack of access to providers offering telehealth to their patients
Preparing for the Future of Telehealth
As innovations in personal and enterprise technologies increase, so it the likelihood of new and emerging innovations and technologies in the field of telehealth and telemedicine. Innovations in these sectors will usher in new competencies for healthcare providers to understand – including new skills in the training, implementation, management, and utilization of these technologies by clinical and administrative healthcare providers.
The University of Providence prepares students to meet these future challenges. Our allied health and nursing programs offer students skills to meet the demands of the present while preparing them to face the challenges of the future. Our students graduate ready and eager to embrace change and push enterprise boundaries, embrace unique challenges, and further focus on patient-first care across nursing, healthcare administration, and mental health counseling.
