Running head: TELEMEDICINE 1

Telemedicine and Home Health Nursing

Name

Institution
TELEMEDICINE 2

Telemedicine and home health nursing

Telemedicine is the use of technologies in information and communication in situations

where spatial challenges exist, and the participants find it difficult to meet physically due to the

physical barriers. The technology and the program, in general, were designed to ensure people

living in remote areas, especially in rural location can access health care facilities despite their

place of residence. Similarly, the current trend where there is a rapid advancement in technology

and the need to operate under minimum costs has prompted the healthcare industry to embrace

telemedicine technology in service delivery (Grabowski & O’Malley, 2014). Some of the

products have embraced telemedicine include, education and administration in addition to

diagnosis and patient assessment to enhance the level of service delivery.

Background Information

Telemedicine gets classified into four areas, namely, interactive video, store-and-forward

teleconsultations, Internet Protocol video on the Internet, and cable-based video. When it comes

to the first three categories data is usually transferred over telephone cables either by the use of

broader bandwidth such as T1 lines, but in most circumstances, ordinary telephone cables get

used. As for the fourth program that is the cable-based video, the application creates a link

between the patient and the doctor by the use of television cable so that they can interact with

each other. The technology comes in handy in addressing chronic, urgent or acute complications

that require immediate response despite the location of the victim.

Telemedicine is a revolutionary game changer since it has improved the levels of service

delivery in healthcare. Telemedicine enhances the efficiency of operations since the facilities can

follow up their procedures and control their actions by doing proper scheduling. Similarly, the

patient gets instant services and does not have to undergo a lot of complicated processes to
TELEMEDICINE 3

access the healthcare services (Kvedar, Coye & Everett, 2014). The process becomes simple and

efficient, which improves the quality of service delivery.

Telemedicine and Home Healthcare

Telemedicine incorporation into home health care is a new aspect, but the outcome has

been immense. Tele-homecare is the commonly used word to describe telemedicine applications

that are specifically designed to serve the home health industry. Primary personal computers and

video gadgets that transmit data through the use of ordinary telephone cables, home health

service providers can easily monitor the progress of their patients at a cheaper cost compared to

the equipment which needs broad bandwidth telephone cables and more composite apparatus for

the process to function well. Tele-homecare uses standard machines which makes it cost

effective compared to the full telemedicine setup.

Home health nurses through the use of medical gadgets attached to the patient’s unit can

quickly assess the patient’s complications and monitor the state of his or her health. For example,

blood pressure evaluation gets completed with a cuff and sphygmomanometer, and an electronic

stethoscope assists the nursing officer to take note about the patient's heartbeat and lungs.

Similarly, Berkhof, Berg, Uil & Kerstjens (2015) points that, “the home health nurse can

measure and transmit temperature, weight, blood glucose levels, and pulse oximetry of the

patient all probable with the latest generation of models”. Tele-homecare makes the home nurse

discharge their duties without the need of being in a health facility.

Besides, apart from home nurses monitoring the patients who have chronic complications

for instance, tuberculosis, congestive heart conditions, and diabetes. Tele-homecare comes with

vast opportunities whereby home health nurse can efficiently provide care for the high-risk and

delicate patients who require close supervision and get placed in hospitals. Similarly, tele-
TELEMEDICINE 4

homecare also endows incapacitated individuals, isolated and stigmatized victims can connect

and interact with home health care nurses and caregivers despite their conditions. Tele-homecare

is a disruptive technology that is going to improve the quality of healthcare by making things

simple for the patient.

Conclusion

Conclusively, telemedicine is a technology that needs to get embraced in the healthcare

industry. The technology enables patients residing from distant places access high-quality health

care like their fellow counterparts living in urban areas. Similarly, the technology makes it

possible for healthcare nurses to schedule their programs efficiently without errors since time

allocation get based on the level of activity in each section. The patient does not have to suffer

from long waiting hours to get served because the service is real time. The technology equips the

nurses, especially those serving in communities and homes to discharge their duties and tackle

the problem as efficiently required.

Tele-homecare is another significant development in the nursing industry where

telemedicine services get brought to the doorstep of the patient. Besides, the technology is cheap

which may not overburden the patient and also helps the patient from frequent traveling to a

health facility and back. Moreover, the technology comes as a reprieve to the disabled patients

and victims who are living under stigmatized conditions who finds it difficult to go in public

facilities to access medical services. On the contrary, more sensitization needs to be conducted

primarily to the individuals living in cultures that are against the use of such technologies. Such

patients will resist using the technology and will prefer the conventional methods used in the

healthcare industry. Some patients have computer anxiety and will do anything to avoid

interacting with computers.

References

Berkhof, F. F., Berg, J. W., Uil, S. M., & Kerstjens, H. A. (2015). Telemedicine, the effect of

nurse‐initiated telephone follow up, on health status and health‐care utilization in COPD

patients: A randomized trial. Respirology, 20(2), 279-285.

Grabowski, D. C., & O’Malley, A. J. (2014). Use of telemedicine can reduce hospitalizations of

nursing home residents and generate savings for medicare. Health Affairs, 33(2), 244-

250.

Kvedar, J., Coye, M. J., & Everett, W. (2014). Connected health: a review of technologies and

strategies to improve patient care with telemedicine and telehealth. Health Affairs, 33(2),

194-199.