Telehealth and Telemedicine Assessment in New Jersey Essay Example

exchange of relevant information (O’Leary & Thomas 2015). While telehealth and telemedicine share commonalities in that they facilitate remote sharing of information, telehealth is actually a broader term as it encompasses not just the clinical services espoused by telemedicine, but also delivery of other nonclinical services like training for healthcare providers, facilitating administrative meetings and also aiding furthering of practitioners education among other related applications (O’Leary & Thomas 2015).

Discussion

Both telehealth and telemedicine are increasingly finding use in the modern society. The field is, however, still undergoing evolution in various aspects. As such, its regulation and control under the law are still taking form in New Jersey and also nationally (Hahn 2015). Regulation of health matters in the US is to a great extent a localized affair whereby the states enact provisions that must be met by healthcare providers. Telemedicine in New Jersey, therefore, falls under the State’s jurisdiction. Although it is an area under development, some principles applicable in New Jersey include the requirement that the practitioner employing telemedicine has to licensed within the state (Hahn 2015).

Furthermore, the physical examination must precede any remote prescription or dispense of drugs. In New Jersey and elsewhere in the US, The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has been at the forefront of promoting telemedicine and also developing guidelines for future licensing and integration into the routine practice of medicine (Hahn 2015). The ATA proposes that future licensure should also align with specific state’s legal requirements. The fact that such requirements may not be uniform in many states represents a hindrance to a fully-fledged uptake of telemedicine as doctors may need to seek licensing, which would be expensive, in various

states where different patients are located.

Various population groups stand to benefit from increased use of telemedicine and telehealth-based interventions. These include the underserved sections of the New Jersey population. For instance, people living in rural localities where there is limited penetration of formal healthcare (Castro, Miller & Nager 2014). People who for various reasons are unable to travel to a health care providers are also major beneficiaries of telemedicine. Disabled and people with various forms of incapacitation and are unable to travel long distances will be able to access medical attention and prescriptions from their residences.

At the same time, as the number of aged people whose movements are restrained continues to increase, the concept of telemedicine will continue to be an invaluable tool in the delivery of healthcare to them. A higher number of old and disabled people is anticipated to strain further the provision of the long-term health services that are constantly needed by these groups (Latifi, Poropatich & Hadeed 2011). Notably, there already is a shortage of medical practitioners in the rural areas including in the New Jersey. Similarly, there is a projected shortage of health practitioners in New Jersey and the rest of the US in the foreseeable future (Latifi, Poropatich & Hadeed 2011).

Nurses are amongst the healthcare practitioners who are best positioned to reap the immense benefits of telemedicine and telehealth. Some of the roles that a telehealth nurse can play include communicating with patients for the purpose of monitoring the patients remotely for such aspects as blood pressure, glucose levels, weight management, and even oxygen levels. The nurses can also advise the patients on prescriptions, do counseling, manage appointments, conduct

education and plan readmissions among other roles. Conducting effective telemedicine and telehealth projects needs a functional system and equipment to support the various platforms of information exchange. This includes the IT infrastructure including reliable internet connectivity, computers, webcams, data storage devices, telemedicine kits, and kits (Colwell Goldberg & Carmel 2012). These should allow data capture, storage, and transmission to the relevant recipients while facilitating communication via such platforms as teleconferencing and emails (Colwell Goldberg & Carmel 2012). As such, the nurse or practitioner can have avenues for efficient and timely communication with the patients from the comfort of their homes and also with doctors and other nurses whereby information relevant to specific cases can be shared and be deliberated on and consultations made in order enhance patient’s outcomes.

The use of IT infrastructure, as already discussed, is advantageous to all the parties involved; both the practitioner and the patient. For example, the nurses who utilize telemedicine are able to monitor and provide support to the patients. Moreover, telemedicine provides an opportunity to manage patients health needs remotely which leads to better outcomes some of which could possibly not be attainable in absence of telemedicine. The nurse may avoid the need to transport patients with complications that may deteriorate during such movement. Telemedicine, therefore, is a tool for improving both the efficiency and the quality of a nurse’s practice (Castro, Miller & Nager 2014).

Telehealth also avails nurses with learning opportunities with relative ease so that they can pursue further education to enable them improve competencies and grow their careers (O’Leary & Thomas 2015). In this regard, training can be conducted via the internet. Similarly, a nurse can

access lectures and curricula content as well the most current information in their areas of specialization including evidence-based practices (O’Leary & Thomas 2015). Nevertheless, nurses may experience such occasional challenges as electronic glitches that may disrupt service delivery. Nurses may also have difficulties making precise diagnosis remotely due to lack of an up-close contact with a patient.

Patients are the other party poised to benefit from telemedicine. Patients will have the advantage of accessing the services of healthcare providers including a wide variety of specialists from the comfort of their homes (Castro, Miller & Nager 2014). Furthermore, the utilization of telemedicine creates an enabling environment for early and timely interventions which is critical in improving outcomes. The patients who live alone can feel more secure and confident with the knowledge that they can get access to medical assistance from qualified personnel via telemedicine (O’Leary & Thomas 2015). Some of the disadvantages attributable to telemedicine that patients may experience include being unable to build a strong nurse-patient relationship similar to the bond built by person to person interaction. Furthermore, like other internet based communication channels like social media, patient’s private information is at risk of being diverted to wrong hands or being exposed to the public.

While telenursing promises new horizons in improving patient care, educating the patients and facilitating peer to peer interactions, safeguarding the patients’ confidentiality is one role a practicing nurse cannot afford to take lightly. Other than a deficient legal framework, the possibility of privacy and confidentiality lapses is yet another issue holding back uptake of telehealth (Boucher 2014). Practitioner-patient dealings are supposed to be hinged on the attached confidentiality. Telenursing, therefore, ought to

be practiced in an environment that guarantees the patient’s privacy and confidentiality which is also necessitated by the ethical and professional code of conduct (Boucher 2014). A tele nurse has the responsibility to ensure that there is no accidental or intentional disclosure of patients’ data that may lead to their recognition by third parties. Such breaches may lead to serious legal repercussions for the practitioner and the institution he or she is working for. As such, a nurse is required to carry out her responsibilities with utmost professionality when handling and transmitting patients’ information.

Considering that telehealth is still in formative stages in New Jersey, some of the recommendations that can be incorporated into the practice include the following. Enactment of tough legal regulation to prevent misuse of the platform by quacks. The internet infrastructure creates a conducive atmosphere for anonymity and hiding of identity such that unqualified imposters can easily establish telehealth organizations for the purpose of defrauding the public in the guise of providing online health services. The regulation should, however, allow adequate flexibility so as not to be a hindrance to telehealth’s application. It is also recommendable that telemedicine is held to the same standard as the general practice to ensure that quality of service delivery and responsibilities of the service provider to the patients in regard to privacy as well as confidentiality are not compromised.

It is also important that the nurses, other health service providers and the support personnel are adequately trained on implementing telehealth and the essence of upholding the integrity of patient’s data and information. The relevant personnel should receive constant training under a regimen that allows for occasional surveys

to evaluate the competency of the stakeholders in terms of handling patients’ information in confidence and also to assess the degree of success uptake of telehealth. As such, various interventions and improvements can constantly, and in a timely manner, be made in order to make telehealth more effective in easing the delivery of healthcare.

References

1. Hahn, C. (2015). Telemedicine and Beyond: The Current Status of the Law and Its Future. Focus. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www.mdmc-law.com/tasks/sites/mdmc/assets/Image/Segment 001 of Summer 2015.pdf
2. CASTRO, D., MILLER, B., & NAGER, A. (2014, May). Unlocking the Potential of Physician-to-Patient Telehealth Services. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www2.itif.org/2014-unlocking-potential-physician-patient-telehealth.pdf
3. O’Leary, S., & Thomas, L. (2015). How Telehealth Can Support People Living in the Community. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from https://www.eiseverywhere.com/file_uploads/af5ddca7c353a8d5653cee734551b38b_HCBSTelehealthSlideDeck.pdf
4. Boucher, B. (2014). Trends in Telehealth - NTT Data. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://americas.nttdata.com/Industries/Industries/Healthcare/~/media/Documents/White-Papers/Trends-in-Telehealth-White-Paper.pdf
5. Latifi, R., Poropatich, R., & Hadeed, G. J. (2011). Telemedicine for trauma, emergencies, and disaster management. Boston: Artech House.
6. Colwell, J. C., Goldberg, M. T., & Carmel, J. E. (2012). Fecal & Urinary Diversions: Management Principles. Saintt Louis: Elsevier Health Sciences.