Discussion Question: Telehealth technology has extended the arms of traditional health care delivery into homes, clinics, and other environments outside the bricks and mortar of hospitals. Will the increased use of these telehealth technology tools be viewed as “de-humanizing” patient care or will they be viewed as a means to promote more contact with healthcare providers and new ways for people to “stay connected” (as online disease support groups), thereby creating better long term disease management and patient satisfaction? Your initial posting should be 250 to 350 words in length and utilize at least one scholarly source other than the textbook. Please reply to at least two classmates. Replies to classmates should be between 150 and 200 words in length. To properly “thread” your discussion posting, please click on REPLY.

Alternative Answer

Significance of Telehealth Technology in Care Delivery

In the United States (U.S.), technology is shaping how patients receive medical services, and currently, there are emphasis to shift towards the use of the telehealth technology to remotely help promote care. Although the idea of remotely caring for the patients presents contentious issues such as de-humanizing patient care, the patient can actually benefit from this type of arrangement (Boxer & Ellimoottil, 2019).

The telehealth provides the constant link between the provider and the patient, and this makes it possible for the former to constantly monitor patients. This enables the long-term management of the patient, and makes it possible for the caregiver to provide adequate care to the patient. This also makes it possible to deliver seamless care given that the provider can care for the patient round the clock as long as the telehealth system is working effectively (Boxer & Ellimoottil, 2019).

For some patients, the thought of traveling to the health facility, and cumbersome admission operations can be demotivating. The use of the telehealth eliminates these challenges as well as the bureaucracies linked to the access to care in the hospital facilities. Patients who are unable to get into the hospital because of distance are able to benefit from the clinical care as long as they have access to the telehealth system. Thus, it provides an easy and more efficient approach to managing health cases.

A key feature of the telehealth model of healthcare delivery is that it allows a health practitioner to address the health needs of multiple patients with similar health problems. This saves them time, and eliminates the need for the patient to be physically present at the point of care to receive treatment (Boxer & Ellimoottil, 2019). Thus, the notion that telehealth is de-humanizing is not true.

However, the telehealth may not entirely be effective when it comes to managing medical care situations. Other than clinical care, patients require emotional, and spiritual support, and they need to feel the presence of the provider. The telehealth technology cannot help meet these expectations, and any support that a provider provides virtually, may not fully address the emotional and spiritual needs of the patient.

References

Boxer, R. J., & Ellimoottil, C. (2019). Advantages and utilization of telemedicine. mHealth, 5, 12. Doi: https://doi.org/10.21037/mhealth.2019.04.02.