Over the past couple of decades, information
and communication technology (ICT) has revolutionized our society, the ways we
interact with one another and even the way we work and live our day-to-day
lives. In addition, information
technology has been used in other industries such as banking, retail, and travel
to transform their businesses. Despite
the numerous studies and the evidence presented detailing the ways that ICT can
revolutionize the health care industry, health care remains the only major
industry that has lagged in and often resisted the adoption of ubiquitous
technologies used in other sectors of the economy that can improve the way health
care can be accessed and delivered (Dixon, 2010).
Although the electronic health record
(EHR) is an important step in making patient medical information more accessible
and shareable, many believe that health care providers, health care organizations,
and insurers receive more direct benefits than patients. However, the use of telecommunications and
networking through online technology can take advantage of data in the health
record and allow providers and patients to exchange information continuously,
not just via office visits (Dixon, 2010).
This
online technology is part of an application in health broadly defined as
eHealth, which includes telemedicine, electronic medical records, and health
information systems with decision support, mobile health and eLearning tools”
(Shiferaw & Zolfo, 2012). eHealth
has the potential to create a better healthcare delivery system and the
possibility of universal health care coverage by creating access to health care
services for individuals that otherwise would go without much needed health
care, enhances the quality of healthcare, improves primary health care interventions
and can offer solutions for situations where human resources for health are
scarce (Shiferaw & Zolfo, 2012).
A technology enabled medical practice is
another concept of eHealth that uses a combination of tools to improve communication
with and care of patients wherever they are in the world. This type of practice has the potential to
build a strong relationship between the patient and his/her team of providers. The patient portal is a secure Web site that
enables the provider and patient to communicate securely online and is the
administrative core of the practice. Patients
have the ability to securely log into the portal with any device that can be
connected to the Internet and can use the portal for routine and non-urgent requests
any time that is convenient for them.
Patients have the ability to request prescription refills, schedule appointments,
request referral authorizations and can even view their outpatient medical
records (Dixon, 2010). The requests made
online by the patients are a benefit to the administrative staff because there
is a reduction in phone calls and they are better able to determine the patient’s
needs. The portal can also provide a way
to transmit lab test results to patients in a timely fashion. Providers also benefit from this online
technology because they can gather detailed statistics about what services
their patients are using; thus, allowing them to review business processes and
manage resources (Dixon, 2010).
Cloud computing is a new way of
delivering computing resources and services that many managers and experts
believe can be used to improve health care services, benefit health care
research, and change the face of health information technology (Kuo,
2011). Almost everyone in this day and
age with access to an electronic communications device uses on form or another
of Cloud Computing - it is literally everywhere (Shimrat, 2009). In the past, many of the software
applications, services, and data were housed safely on a local network that was
secure in your building; however, those same applications, services, and data
are now housed in the domain of the Internet.
All one has to do now is log onto any computer that has Internet access,
no matter where you are in the world, and you will have immediate access to
your files, software, data, etc. that you may need. The
private health information that was once housed on these networks have now been
migrated onto the Internet. Many small
solo-physician practices have decided that rather than incur the costs of updating
and building local computer infrastructures that they are better off and find it
less expensive to pay monthly charges to keep everything “in the cloud” (Shimrat,
2009). “Clouds are a large pool of
usable and accessible virtualized resources (such as hardware, development
platforms and/or services” (Kuo, 2011, p. 2). Clouds can be reconfigured when
needed to make adjustments for more and more information that will be utilizing
the space.
Finally, telemedicine is often defined
as the interactive exchange of medical information and care from one site to
another via electronic communications in an effort to reduce risks, improve
patients’ health status and reduce costs.
Telemedicine is also referred to as “telehealth” or “e-health”; however,
over the last few years, the term telemedicine and its focus has moved from
primarily being on the delivery of care from point to point the focus being
more about using the term telehealth because the healthcare business has
shifted to electronic medical records and took a longitudinal view of the
patient (Andrews, 2013). Telemedicine is
a valuable and much needed resource for physicians and patients alike. It gives physicians and other health care
providers the ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients in remote areas
using telecommunications technology such as communications devices, video
streaming, video chatting, and virtual office visits. These types of technology have been a part of
telehealth for a long time but now especially since the health care industry is
moving toward electronic health records the use of technology is now more about
how technology can enhance the view a clinician has of the patient and how it
can be used to enhance efficiencies and workflows to drive better health
outcomes.
There are several trends that are not
only having an impact on telemedicine but are also shaping its future. The United States is not only experiencing a
shortage of clinicians but also a maldistribution of providers. A maldistribution of providers means that
there are more providers that are located or concentrated in some areas and a
shortage of providers in other areas, especially in rural areas. According to the YouTube video, What is telemedicine?, telemedicine
gives these providers and physicians the ability to be more readily available
and accessible to more patients (California TRC, 2012). Health care costs are also shaping the
future of telemedicine because telemedicine has the ability to improve access
to services in rural and underserved areas which can reduce the overall costs
of care. Finally, an emphasis has been
put on treating chronic conditions and preventing hospital re-admissions which
is making telemedicine more and more of a go-to solution that is proven to
improve patient’s access to services and can reduce the overall costs of care
while identifying and treating problems sooner by reducing a delay in care.
Telemedicine has also been proven to be
beneficial in disaster relief and can actually be used as a model for the
integration of telemedicine in communities nationwide. Telemedicine equipment being used in disaster
relief shows the immediate benefits of how using satellite based communications
and mobility ensures that patients get the appropriate expertise anytime,
anywhere. It also shows how medical
information can be captured and transferred to physicians and specialists for
real time consultation and care.
References
Andrews,
J. (2013). Telehealth fits new landscape. Retrieved August 9, 2013, from http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/telehealth-fits-new-landscape
California Telehealth Resource
Center [CaliforniaTRC]. (2012, December 18). What is telemedicine [Video
file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at7o1DeYAZs
Dixon,
R. F. (2010). Enhancing primary care through online communication. Health
Affairs, 29(7), 1364-1369. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0110
Kuo, A. M. (2011). Opportunities and
challenges of cloud computing to improve health care services. Journal of Medical
Internet Research, 12(3), e67-75. doi: 10.2196/jmir.1867
Shiferaw, F., & Zolfo, M. (2012). The role of information
communication technology (ICT) towards universal health coverage: the first
steps of a telemedicine project in Ethiopia. Global Health Action, 51-8.
doi:10.3402/gha.v5i0.15638
Shimrat,
O. (2009). Cloud computing and
healthcare?: Bad weather or sunny forecast? Retrieved August 9, 2013, from http://www.himss.org/files/HIMSSorg/content/files/Code%2093_Shimrat_CloudComputingandHealthcare_2009.pdf
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