Telemedicine

Telemedicine Application in Healthcare Delivery Student’s Name Institution Course Professor’s Name Submission Date Introduction Telemedicine can be described as the practice of offering patient care over distance. This practice modality can make health more available, organized, and effective. Nevertheless, the application of telemedicine is not without its challenges. While patients expect high-quality virtual care using telemedicine, there is a lack of uniform, comprehensive guidelines on using such tools. In addition, hospitals are facing frequent changes in billing practices and regulations. This makes implementing a homogenous and consistent offering difficult under such circumstances. Healthcare organizations seeking to leverage telehealth capabilities should implement specific training above and beyond general entry-level nursing education. A brief fictional case related to telemedicine entails a diabetic patient using electronic media to receive health-related services and information, including education, support, and reminders. This patient lives in a rural area, with little financial and transport capabilities to visit the healthcare facility for one-on-one interaction with the healthcare provider. The situation in which an individual is most likely to use telemedicine entails seeing the physician via the videoconferencing application. The physician could evaluate the patient’s progress, email a nutrition plan, and invite them to view their diagnosis results via the portal. This paper includes background information on the use of telemedicine, the risks and benefits of the technology, and the interdisciplinary team’s roles and responsibilities regarding this technology. It also includes the nursing scope of practice and patient education requirements when implementing telemedicine. Explanation and Background The terms telemedicine and telehealth are, in most instances, used interchangeably. However, telemedicine can be conceptualized as a subset of telehealth and entails clinical services specifically. Healthcare information improvements and the continued rise in healthcare services access have augmented the development of telemedicine, joining patients and providers in previously unimagined avenues (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). The Covid-19 pandemic reiterated the indispensable value of telehealth in guaranteeing uninterrupted healthcare delivery. Telemedicine has become an increasingly vital tool for removing consultations, patient care monitoring, and follow-ups, thus mitigating the strain on conventional health systems. Telemedicine is a beneficial technology that helps individuals access prevention care and long-term health, particularly those facing regional or financial constraints to accessing high-quality patient-centered care (Haleem et al., 2021). According to Lucas and Villarroel (2022), telemedicine is widely used by different population groups in the United States (U.S.). Statistics indicate that 37% of adults employed telemedicine within the previous year in 2021. Telemedicine increases with age, with women being the top users (42%) while men recording 31.7% (Lucas & Villarroel, 2022). The percentage of telemedicine users also varied by household income and increased with an individual’s educational attainment (Lucas & Villarroel, 2022). Accordingly, healthcare providers should make medication considerations for telemedicine, including examining its application in specialized fields, including radiology, dermatology, and mental health. Discussing the unique opportunities and challenges in delivering medication and prescriptions remotely is vital. Concerning safety considerations, healthcare providers should ensure proper credentialing and legislation concerning patient-provider encounters to reduce the potential for medication errors. It is also necessary to consider observing HIPAA guidelines and notify clients concer...