Advancing Health Education With Telemedicine


Book Description

While telemedicine was not a new concept before the COVID-19 pandemic, it has certainly helped to propel telehealth as a popular solution and tool for patients to continue to use well after the impacts of COVID-19 have been felt. However, telehealth also provided solutions for health institutions faced with the challenge of preparing the next generation of medical professionals remotely. Telemedicine allowed medical educators to accompany students in their first encounters with patients and to simulate practical scenarios. Through the pandemic, educators have striven to be more creative and propose solutions to overcome adversities such as language barriers, access to technological infrastructure, and lack of legal framework. Advancing Health Education With Telemedicine discusses and presents alternatives on taking advantage of available technologies and infrastructure of telemedicine and e-health to advance health professionals’ education. This need emerged amid the pandemic to provide patients and their families with support and guidance, but it also brought opportunities to students to continue their training and be involved in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Covering topics such as disease-awareness campaigns, medical education, and online clinical simulation, this book serves as a dynamic resource for medical students, medical professionals, medical directors, educational software developers, researchers, communications experts, professors, and academicians.




The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment


Book Description

In 1996, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report Telemedicine: A Guide to Assessing Telecommunications for Health Care. In that report, the IOM Committee on Evaluating Clinical Applications of Telemedicine found telemedicine is similar in most respects to other technologies for which better evidence of effectiveness is also being demanded. Telemedicine, however, has some special characteristics-shared with information technologies generally-that warrant particular notice from evaluators and decision makers. Since that time, attention to telehealth has continued to grow in both the public and private sectors. Peer-reviewed journals and professional societies are devoted to telehealth, the federal government provides grant funding to promote the use of telehealth, and the private technology industry continues to develop new applications for telehealth. However, barriers remain to the use of telehealth modalities, including issues related to reimbursement, licensure, workforce, and costs. Also, some areas of telehealth have developed a stronger evidence base than others. The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) sponsored the IOM in holding a workshop in Washington, DC, on August 8-9 2012, to examine how the use of telehealth technology can fit into the U.S. health care system. HRSA asked the IOM to focus on the potential for telehealth to serve geographically isolated individuals and extend the reach of scarce resources while also emphasizing the quality and value in the delivery of health care services. This workshop summary discusses the evolution of telehealth since 1996, including the increasing role of the private sector, policies that have promoted or delayed the use of telehealth, and consumer acceptance of telehealth. The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment: Workshop Summary discusses the current evidence base for telehealth, including available data and gaps in data; discuss how technological developments, including mobile telehealth, electronic intensive care units, remote monitoring, social networking, and wearable devices, in conjunction with the push for electronic health records, is changing the delivery of health care in rural and urban environments. This report also summarizes actions that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can undertake to further the use of telehealth to improve health care outcomes while controlling costs in the current health care environment.




Telehealth Innovations in Remote Healthcare Services Delivery


Book Description

The need to promote academic activities in telehealth remains a high priority as the discipline expands into new areas of healthcare. Response during 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an excellent example of the rapid diversification and impact attainable with telehealth, and may kindle a new momentum for accelerated service design and adoption processes in the future. This book, Telehealth Innovations in Remote Healthcare Services Delivery, is the tenth in the Global Telehealth series. Due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions placed on academic gatherings, the organizers issued a general call for contributions, with the intention of attracting a wide cross-section of contributions reflecting the breadth of different aspects of telehealth internationally. The resulting collection offers snapshots of research projects and studies of service experience from five continents, with an emphasis on delivering benefits in regional settings in keeping with the theme of the book’s title. Articles range from descriptions of telehealth networks and clinical-service instances such as cardiac health, mental health and pathology, several in Pacific-rim settings, to more generic papers on the evolution of such services, as well as commentaries on innovative considerations for telehealth such as the emergence of the concept of virtual care, the suitability of health apps, and the status of eHealth readiness in the developing world. This book is a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge on current telehealth research interests and trends, and will be of interest to all those working in the field.




Telemedicine, Telehealth and Telepresence


Book Description

Telemedicine and telehealth have consistently been shown to be effective for remote areas or limited-resource locations, regular medical and surgical practice, primary care, second opinion, extreme conditions, major crises, and disaster management. The aim of this book is to bring all aspects of telemedicine and e-health to the reader, in a simple, make-sense approach, in one tome. The book is structured in four parts with 29 chapters written by the best experts in the field from around the world, including clinicians, scientists, and administrators of telemedicine programs. Part I deals with basic principles of telemedicine and telepresence. Historical journeys of telemedicine and strategies, building sustainable telemedicine and telehealth programs in the United States and in the Balkans, as well as incorporation of telemedicine in the current ongoing pandemic COVID-19 are well described and are must read. Current technological developments, rules and regulations, legal and business aspects and consent are also addressed. Part II describes strategies for building sustainable telemedicine and telehealth programs. Telehealth patient portals and public-private partnership modes of technology, as well the role of international telemedicine and how to make it work, are valuable chapters of great significance. Part III describes outcomes-based evidence clinical applications of telemedicine in trauma, burns, intensive care, pediatric care, psychiatry, and stroke. Finally, one important chapter for the readers is the telemedicine for prison and jail population. The final part, Part IV depicts surgical telementoring and teleproctoring, a chapter written by 18 various surgical experts, a true gem for the readers. The book ends with promises and hurdles of telemedicine in austere conditions. Telemedicine, Telehealth and Telepresence serves as a valuable resource that focuses on providing patients care from a distance using store and forward technology to live actual performance of operations at a distance.Chapters 1, 6, 12 and 17 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.




Encyclopedia of E-Health and Telemedicine


Book Description

Patients and medical professionals alike are slowly growing into the digital advances that are revolutionizing the ways that medical records are maintained in addition to the delivery of healthcare services. As technology continues to advance, so do the applications of technological innovation within the healthcare sector. The Encyclopedia of E-Health and Telemedicine is an authoritative reference source featuring emerging technological developments and solutions within the field of medicine. Emphasizing critical research-based articles on digital trends, including big data, mobile applications, electronic records management, and data privacy, and how these trends are being applied within the healthcare sector, this encyclopedia is a critical addition to academic and medical libraries and meets the research needs of healthcare professionals, researchers, and medical students.




Telemedicine


Book Description

Telemedicineâ€"the use of information and telecommunications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates the participantsâ€"is receiving increasing attention not only in remote areas where health care access is troublesome but also in urban and suburban locations. Yet the benefits and costs of this blend of medicine and digital technologies must be better demonstrated before today's cautious decision-makers invest significant funds in its development. Telemedicine presents a framework for evaluating patient care applications of telemedicine. The book identifies managerial, technical, policy, legal, and human factors that must be taken into account in evaluating a telemedicine program. The committee reviews previous efforts to establish evaluation frameworks and reports on results from several completed studies of image transmission, consulting from remote locations, and other telemedicine programs. The committee also examines basic elements of an evaluation and considers relevant issues of quality, accessibility, and cost of health care. Telemedicine will be of immediate interest to anyone with interest in the clinical application of telemedicine.




Technology and Global Public Health


Book Description

This book explores the pivotal role played by technology over the past decade in advancing global public health and health care. At present, the global community faces unprecedented healthcare challenges fueled by an aging population, rising rates of chronic disease, and persistent health disparities. New technologies and advancements have the potential to extend the reach of health professionals while improving quality and efficiency of service delivery and reducing costs within the public and the private health systems. The chapters highlight the barriers faced by the global healthcare workforce in using technology to promote health and human rights of communities: Role of Digital Health, mHealth, and Low-Cost Technologies in Advancing Universal Health Coverage in Emerging Economies Telehealth and Homecare Agencies Technology and the Practice of Health Education in Conflict Zones The Worldwide Digital Divide and Access to Healthcare Technology Technology for Creating Better Professional Teams to Strengthen Healthcare Systems Global Public Health Disaster Management and Technology As a resource on the evolution of technology as a valuable and integral component in the promotion and practice of public health and health care, with a focus on SDG 3 targets, Technology and Global Public Health should engage students, instructors, practitioners, and other professionals interested in public health, universal health care, health technology, digital health, and health equity. Dr. Murthy has been a respected leader and mentor on scientific health-related matters within the UN system for many years. Her book develops a theoretical system connecting concepts that have coined global public health with the rapid development of technology, all with the focus to achieve Sustainable Development Goal number three, within the time frame set by World Leaders. - Henry L. Mac-Donald, Former Permanent Representative of Suriname to the United Nations




Access to Health Care in America


Book Description

Americans are accustomed to anecdotal evidence of the health care crisis. Yet, personal or local stories do not provide a comprehensive nationwide picture of our access to health care. Now, this book offers the long-awaited health equivalent of national economic indicators. This useful volume defines a set of national objectives and identifies indicatorsâ€"measures of utilization and outcomeâ€"that can "sense" when and where problems occur in accessing specific health care services. Using the indicators, the committee presents significant conclusions about the situation today, examining the relationships between access to care and factors such as income, race, ethnic origin, and location. The committee offers recommendations to federal, state, and local agencies for improving data collection and monitoring. This highly readable and well-organized volume will be essential for policymakers, public health officials, insurance companies, hospitals, physicians and nurses, and interested individuals.




Telemedicine and Telehealth


Book Description

Telemedicine and telehealth are changing the face of health care delivery and becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. Dr. Darkins and Dr. Cary share their knowledge and provide practical insights and advice on making telemedicine programs into successful clinical services and a productive business. The book gives background knowledge and useful tips on starting up and managing programs in an array of settings. Most importantly, the book is based on the recognition that patients are customers of health care and telemedicine companies developing new products vital to delivering care to rural or inaccessible clients is vital to health care's future.




Understanding Telehealth


Book Description

The first complete guide to the rapidly expanding field of telehealth From email to videoconferencing, telehealth puts real-time healthcare solutions at patients’ and clinicians’ fingertips. Every year, the field continues to evolve, enhancing access to healthcare, supporting clinicians, and improving the patient experience. However, since telehealth is in its infancy, no text has offered a comprehensive, definitive survey of this up-and-coming field—until now. Written by past presidents of the American Telemedicine Association, Understanding Telehealth explains how clinical applications leveraging telehealth technology are optimizing healthcare delivery. In addition, this timely resource examines the bedrock principles of telehealth and highlights the safety standards involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients through digital communications. Logically organized and supported by high-yield clinical vignettes, the book begins with essential background information, including a look at telehealth history, definitions and roles, and rural health. It then provides an overview of clinical services for adults, from telestroke to telepsychiatry. The third section addresses pediatric clinical services, encompassing pediatric emergency and critical care, telecardiology, and more. A groundbreaking resource: •Chapters cover a broad spectrum of technologies, evidence-based guidelines, and application of telehealth across the healthcare continuum •Ideal for medical staff, public healthcare executives, hospitals, clinics, payors, healthcare advocates, and researchers alike •Incisive coverage of the legal and regulatory environment underpinning telehealth practice