Introduction
Technological innovations have opened an uncharted world of possibilities for healthcare practitioners in terms of managing patient-specific needs, securing patients’ personal data, and leading to interdisciplinary collaboration in the healthcare setting (Zimlich, 2016). Telemedicine is one of these innovative technologies; offering a method of addressing patients’ needs remotely, Telemedicine has been offering a chance to identify health threats immediately and act respectively (Zimlich, 2016). The goal of this paper is to consider the improvements to healthcare services that Telemedicine provides. Due to the enhanced collaboration between a healthcare service provider and a patient, as well as the improved management of information, Telemedicine offers additional opportunities for making a difference in the quality of care.
Body
Improvements
The opportunity for an uninterrupted dialogue between a nurse and a patient, with the unceasing support and readily available healthcare services and information, should be seen as the major advantage of the Telemedicine-based system. According to the article, the tool will help to improve the efficacy of communication between a patient and a healthcare provider (Zimlich, 2016). Therefore, opportunities for patient education on current health issues, as well as specific data pertaining to the specified patients’ needs, will emerge.
Furthermore, the financial aspect of the Telemedicine framework has been explored in the article extensively. Zimlich (2016) makes it obvious that the use of Telemedicine will help to manage the reimbursement issue and provide patients with better options for saving money and receiving decent treatment. For instance, the fact that the use of the Telemedicine tool allows reducing the number of emergency cases implies lesser costs associated with the relevant services and, consequently, better financial outcomes for the hospital (Zimlich, 2016). Therefore, the application of Telemedicine leads to significant improvements both in short- and long-term perspectives.
Concerns
However., the concept of Telemedicine is not devoid of flaws or inconsistencies that may entail future complications. For example, the article under analysis indicates that technical issues may hinder the application of Telemedicine. Ranging from glitches to basic power outages, technical problems may cause significant misunderstandings between a patient and a healthcare provider, as well as lead to the failure of delivering the necessary services to a patient. As a result, the latter’s life may be in danger. The specified issue has to be addressed since it currently represents a major oversight in the development of Telehealth and Telemedicine.
In addition, the introduction of Telemedicine may lead to inaccurate assessments of patients and their health status. Indeed, with limited access to patient examination, a healthcare provider may be unable to diagnose a health issue and suggest appropriate intervention or medication (Zimlich, 2016). In addition, convincing healthcare practitioners and organizations to transfer to Telemedicine completely as the means of supporting their patients remotely may take a substantial amount of time since not all of the target audiences may agree with the concept of using remote technology to address health concerns.
Summary/Conclusion
Due to the options for patient education, remote control, and early identification of threats, Telemedicine should be viewed as a crucial tool in managing patients’ needs. The application of Telemedicine allows for better patient-nurse communication, which extends to patient education and the development of health literacy. In addition, the introduction of telehealth implies creating premises for interdisciplinary collaboration in the healthcare context. As a result, a gradual improvement in community health levels and the management of specific health issues can be observed.
Reference
Zimlich, R. (2016). Telemedicine: an economic evaluation. Advanstar Communications Inc.