Telehealth and its Impact on Nursing

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The internet has transformed almost everything in our contemporary society. For example, it has transformed how we shop, interact, and make particular decisions. It has transformed modern life in different ways. Multiple telehealth tools help individuals manage their healthcare and receive the required services.

What is telehealth?

Telehealth refers to the use of digital information and communication technologies, such as computers and mobile devices, to access health care services remotely and manage your health care services.

Telehealth Goals include:

• The first goal of telehealth is to make health care accessible to people who live in rural or isolated communities
• Increase access to medical specialists
• Provide support for self-management of healthcare
• Improve communication and coordination of care among members of a health care team and a patient
• Make services more readily available to persons with limited mobility, time, or transportation options

Telehealth in nursing

Telehealth services are likely to replace face-to-face visits with video conferencing and phone calls and allow patients to stay home when sick. This technology makes it possible for telehealth nurses to receive information on patient vital signs, such as blood pressure or pulse rate, that patients measure on their own at home.

The use of telehealth in nursing is increasing in the United States and beyond. Data from American Hospital Association (AHA) shows that hospitals using telemedicine increased from 35 percent in 2010 to approximately 76 percent in 2017.

The role of telehealth in nursing

As a routine, nurses serve as patients’ first point of contact when seeking healthcare. They also serve as patients’ primary source of health education and long-term health monitoring. Thus, in most health care organizations, nurses play a leading role in integrating telehealth services into patient care.

Incorporating health services into daily operations has availed new tools to nurses to reach patients and improve healthcare access for all.

The United States has sufficient healthcare resources; however, accessibility to care has been an issue of concern, especially for underserved populations. The use of telehealth can eliminate geographical barriers. As a result, persons in rural communities without easy access to care can still get the services they need.

Telehealth has demonstrated its significance in supporting in-patient care. Therefore, it gives nurses an avenue of monitoring patients after they are discharged from the hospital or while managing chronic illness at home.

The transition to telehealth allows patients to use self-measurement devices to help nurses monitor pertinent signs, such as blood pressure, pulse rate, or blood glucose remotely at home. In case of an emergency or need for prompt assistance, the nurses can be notified via alarms. Nurses can also use video conferencing to monitor injury recovery.

Some nurses use telehealth as the primary way of providing care. For example, nurse hotlines, telemedicine websites, and online chat technologies connect nurses with patients remotely for regular health inquiries and symptom management. This technology also makes it possible for nurses to share patient data with doctors and specialists in real-time; hence, linking patients to the best.

After a natural disaster or other emergency, telehealth is a critical tool to help treat minor injuries and illnesses during recovery efforts. Telehealth technology is a critical connection between in-patient care and at-home health management. Therefore, the significant work of technology and telehealth is its flexibility to design services that work best for the environment or an individual on a case-by-case basis.

How has telehealth promoted access to health services

The use of telehealth in the nursing sector has multiple benefits across the healthcare system. The American Nursing Association (ANA) ascertained that approximately 20 percent of Americans residing in rural areas suffered from the shortage of providers and healthcare facilities. However, telehealth services helped more patients get the care they needed. As a result, it significantly improve health outcomes.

Telehealth services have also helped patients better manage chronic conditions, such as heart failure, diabetes, and respiratory diseases, by minimizing trips to doctors. It has also enhanced symptoms management to reduce hospitalization.

The strategy can also minimize healthcare costs. For example, treating patients in their homes allows nurses and doctors to see more patients in less time. As a result, patients and medical institutions can save money. In 2019, American Hospital Association (AHA) report showed that healthcare providers saved more than $2700 per patient when using telehealth services instead of in-person physical therapy after knee-replacement surgery.

These justifications ascertain the need for providers and patients to embrace telehealth because of its ease of use, its ability to improve outcomes, improve communication, and lower costs. Thus, it has been the fundamental transformation in healthcare provision.

The future role of telehealth in nursing

The future of telehealth in nursing continues to evolve. It has brought numerous benefits; however, its implementation also faced numerous challenges. Insufficient access to broadband internet can limit telehealth services in rural areas, where other healthcare is often needed. Telemedicine is also affected by the limits of medical licensure to provide telehealth services across state lines, online prescribing regulations, and patient privacy concerns.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed providers, insurers, and policymakers to accelerate the integration of telehealth into medical care. Telemedicine allows healthcare providers to triage COVID-19 patients before they arrive in person. It makes it easier to keep coronavirus patients isolated and allows for more at-home care for patients with less severe symptoms, reducing the strain on hospital systems.

Suppose telemedicine across the healthcare system continues after the pandemic has passed. In that case, nurses will have more tools available at their disposal to serve and educate patients and offer the highest quality care possible.

The role of nurses in telehealth is no different than face-to-face nursing. It is just done in a different way using technology. Whether a nurse is performing telehealth work with patients or working directly face-to-face with patients, nursing is the glue that holds a patient’s care journey together.