Essay Example: The Effect of How Telehealth Is Transforming How Care Is Done

Introduction

The world is continually evolving, and so is the health industry. Innovations like artificial intelligence and other internet of things technologies are taking over the world. Telehealth has emerged to be a revolutionary tool in health as one can have an appointment with the doctor without having to visit the hospital. The health industry must continue adopting technology, and telehealth is crucial, especially with non-emergency illnesses and chronic ones too, and in this case, diabetes patients. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen, more diabetes patients are afraid to get to hospitals for treatment as they fear to contract the disease. Diabetes patients are highly susceptible to the COVID-19 illness, and they could utilize Telehealth to get treatment. The New York Presbyterian Hospital aims to address the issue of Diabetes patients not going to the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic by use of telehealth.

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Research Questions

1. How is telehealth shaping the health industry?
2. What is telehealth’s future in the health industry?
3. What are the forms of telehealth?
4. How is telehealth transforming how healthcare is done?
5. What is the recommended set-up process of telehealth at New York Presbyterian Hospital?
6. What are the benefits and challenges of telehealth?

Telehealth at New York Presbyterian Hospital

How Telehealth Is Shaping the Health Industry

Telehealth has been present in the past, but it was mostly used to transmit health data. As technology is continuously developing, video-streaming services have become part of normal daily lives. It is a massive boost to Telehealth as patients see their doctors from their smartphones or computers without leaving their homes. The younger population has highly embraced technology, and they are the majority of the users. Hospitals like the New York Presbyterian have a problem giving healthcare to patients especially those that are highly susceptible to the COVID-19 disease, and telehealth will be vital to minimize costs and improve safety for patients.

The young population are still at risk of diabetes, even though it mostly affects the older population (Chang et al., 2017). As the COVID-19 situation continues, older people must embrace technology more and necessarily, Telehealth (Poulsen, 2020). Therefore, the New York Presbyterian needs telehealth technology so that they can serve more diabetes patients to reduce further death toll (Poulsen, 2020).

As Telehealth's popularity continues to grow, insurance companies are shifting to cover the gap. It is a considerable boost to patients as they can still access medical services with their insurance covers, as some may fear to incur extra costs. Telehealth is a massive boost to nurses, who, for a long time, have suffered from burnout with the enormous amount of work they perform in the hospitals.

Telehealthcare, therefore, is transforming the role of nurses, and it enables them to focus more on their work as it reduces their workload (Chang et al., 2017). Telehealth is increasing artificial intelligence demand. Artificial intelligence is continually being incorporated in Telehealth, and it is expanding the functions of the technology, improving the services provided to patients. Telehealth is not only crucial for the provision of services to patients but also for training to doctors and nurses. These professionals can get online training on new methods, technologies, or other relevant information through Telehealth. It is essential as one cannot be comfortable with the knowledge they have, and the health industry is continually getting competitive. Therefore, these professionals need to get new information every time, and Telehealth comes in handy.

Telehealth has boosted the technology in health, and more healthcare solutions are coming up. They include mobile applications and computer software that are leading the charge for digitizing the health industry. Examples of such applications include; Owlet Monitor Duo, Atmos Faceware, and Eskin Sleep and Lounge (Chang et al., 2017). The New York Presbyterian Hospital uses technology to reduce gas emission around the area and it saves the Hospital more resources and improves the safety of patients and the people around the community.

Telehealth's Future

Internet technology is essential in Telehealth, and the recent development of 5G technology is a massive boost for the future. It is crucial because it provides very high speeds of the internet, making Telehealth uninterrupted with latency. Telehealth's main feature is live streaming, and it relies on good internet speed for efficiency. It also improves artificial intelligence, as it boosts processing speeds and is helpful for doctors to perform more functions from their remote locations, like surgery.

Telehealth has grown exponentially, and it is taking health professionals towards a virtual era that will be more or less compulsory. It is also because of the constant increase in demand for doctors and patients will look to utilize telehealth technology (Hah et al., 2019). It will be useful to decongest hospitals as it reduces the traffic of patients with less severe diseases. Also, patients with chronic conditions will benefit from Telehealth, as it is crucial for patient follow up and monitoring from their doctors.

Forms of Telehealth

Telehealth can be either video conferencing, store and forward or remote patient monitoring. Video conferencing between a patient and a doctor is the most common form of Telehealth. A series of other follow-up sessions can accompany an initial meeting. After a patient consults a doctor, they can be referred to a specialist, and they still interact on the same platform. Store and forward is not real-time as patients give information to a doctor, and they get feedback at a later time.

Communication can include other forms of media apart from texts like photos or videos. Remote patient monitoring enables a doctor to care for a patient from their home without having to meet them (Hah et al., 2019). It involves the incorporation of medical devices to monitor the physical condition of a patient and get real-time information. Such devices can be worn by a patient or used during care sessions.

How Telehealth Is Transforming How Care Is Done

Telehealth enables patients to ask urgent questions, and doctors can quickly respond to address the issue. It, therefore, reduces the hustle that a patient has to go through to get to the hospital. It is essential, especially for patients that are under treatment already, as follow up does not have to take place in the hospital. Hospitals are prone to delays that can bring errors, and Telehealth works to minimize this issue. It is efficient as one can attach forms of media to explain more about the situation they are going through.

Telehealth assists in diagnosis during emergencies. Some emergencies can be caused by diabetes, and it is life-threatening as an individual can go into a coma. If an individual resides far away from the hospital, Telehealth is vital to address the situation as doctors or other specialists can easily direct the case even when one is in an ambulance (Hah et al., 2019). It shows that Telehealth provides real-time solutions during times of emergency.

In hospitals, often, patients go there without much information on the condition they are going through. It means that the only information they get is from the doctors, and yet they have to stay in line to get an appointment. However, with Telehealth, a patient saves time, and they get more information about their health condition, unlike in hospitals (Hah et al., 2019). A patient receives test results immediately as it is sent via digital media, and the patient can be in a better situation to understand what they are facing.

Patients can book an appointment with a doctor from anywhere they wish. It is primarily in the outskirt’s areas, where one may not get access to hospitals quickly because of distance. It takes up much time, especially when it has many follow-up consultations. It, therefore, means that with Telehealth, one does not have to see a doctor physically when they have minor problems, but only with major ones that can be serious (Poulsen, 2020). The doctors also reap the benefits as they can deal with appointments in time and handle more dangerous situations in the hospitals. It saves them time, and it is less hectic than having to deal with a long line of patients with appointments.

The Intensive Care Unit is one of the most hectic places to work in the hospital. Telehealth comes in handy to maximize the input that doctors put in to care for patients. Patients in the Intensive Care Unit are at most delicate; therefore, doctors and nurses have to be at their best every time (Dart et al., 2016). There is no room for error, as it can hugely affect the health condition of a patient.

Telehealth ensures that patients are monitored at all times without the need for physical attention. It can also act as back-up to the health professionals already in the intensive care unit. It ensures that nurses and doctors can monitor the patients efficiently, and information is stored digitally for better access. Assessment can also be done remotely as Telehealth provides room for camera views (Dart et al., 2016). Apart from the intensive care unit, some patients may be immobile at their homes. It means that patients have a hard time moving back and forth from their home to the hospital, and it can take a toll on their health. It is a costly affair, and it is challenging to load and offload a patient on a car, even if it is an ambulance.

Telehealth allows bedridden patients to receive care in the comfort of their homes as they can consult and go through assessments. It will enable the patient to recover conveniently and only go to the doctor when they are in critical condition only (Dart et al., 2016). It reduces the cost of healthcare as the patient can be okay; therefore, it does not need physical consultation. It is convenient for a patient as they save a lot of energy, and they remain comfortable as they continue their recovery. Telehealth allows for rehabilitation without the need to go to a hospital. It is essential for patients with less critical health conditions, and it is more convenient and cheaper for patients (Poulsen, 2020). It is less expensive as a patient only has to pay for consultation fees, therefore, avoiding other hospital fees like for accommodation. However, home rehabilitation should only be done with the advice of the doctor, as some conditions are unpredictable.

Home rehabilitation can be done with Telehealth as it provides room for family care, and doctors can still monitor the patient effectively. Telehealth protects the privacy of patients. An individual may not be comfortable with other patients at the hospital for personal reasons, like when they do not want to conceal their ailments in public. It means that these kinds of patients prefer to use Telehealth to do a consultation with their doctor rather than show up at the hospital (Dart et al., 2016). It shows that they can preserve their privacy and still receive medical care. They consult their doctors at the comfort of their home and can exchange documents of assessment and results with their doctor (Poulsen, 2020). An individual, therefore, has a low probability of bumping into people they know in the hospital as they receive medication from their home, preserving their privacy.