TELEHEALTH

Telehealth

Abstract

Telehealth is a recent application that involves improvement to the health of the patients through the use of technology. Telehealth encompasses all forms of nursing practices focused on customers, as well as information and training services provided to healthcare professionals through the use of telecommunications or electronic means. Telehomecare is one prime application of telehealth that has become quite famous with the passage of time. Telehomecare is a new way of supporting patients with chronic diseases. It has numerous advantages, disadvantages, financial, ethical and legal concerns that this paper will discuss in order to make the reader well versed will all aspect of this application.

Telehealth

Introduction

Tele health delivers the health related services & knowledge or information through telecommunication or other long distance chat facilities like internet. This could include any issue related to health which covers all the people in need of this service. The service can be provided to the professional in need of education for health, or it may give support to the relative which is in dire need of some health issue for his or her companion. Tele health is the use of electronic and telecommunications technologies for providing support to long distance clinical health care. Through this service, patients are given health education, which is basic or related to them. The technology includes video conferencing through internet, wireless communications etc. (Pamela, 2001) It is also known as the expansion of telemedicine, but it does not only focus on curative aspect like telemedicine but it covers a wide range of issues. It encompasses promotive, preventive and curative aspects. For Example, the doctor uses email to communicate with his or her patients. This communication may involve medicine prescriptions and other health related issues. (Darkins, 2000)

Discussion

The basic concept inherent in telehealth is not to move more information, but to move information and make it available in time and place needed. Although as mentioned earlier there are various telehealth applications, but the applications discussed at length in this paper is telehomecare. Telehomecare is an emerging field that is benefiting home care providers and their patients. It is the use of communications and information technology to deliver health services and exchange health information to and from home (or community) when distance separates the participants. It does not replace in person home care visits, but is used primarily to augment current services. Telehomecare services can be divided into two major areas that include Electronic house calls and health care centers.

Clinical and Non-Clinical Uses of Tele health

Advices for emergency cases through telephone

Educating people on diseases which are likely to occur in their cases through follow-up.

Providing medical data for diagnosis or the management of health or disease management.

Professionals and individuals providing health services through video conference

Providing patients images which are helpful in the diagnosis of diseases via e-mail.

Overall Management of Health care systems

Management of online data available related to health

Developing and researching new ways for tele health

Managing data of patients (Fong, 2010)

Modes of Tele health

Store and Forward Tele health

In this mode, images and video or audio ...