Introduction
Technologies are transforming the shape of many organizations and industry settings in the modern world. For example, the health and education systems now utilize advanced programs that greatly increase efficiency. Telemedicine and telehealth are the most widely known healthcare technologies revolutionizing care delivery and patient management in hospitals (Matsuda et al., 2022). Telehealth was described as using digital information and communication technology to provide remote access to care services (Matsuda et al., 2022). As a result, telehealth has removed many barriers that stopped many patients from accessing care owing to other obligations. It has also improved frequent check-ups because patients no longer need to go to hospitals.
An Overview of the Telehealth
Many studies have concluded that the usage of technology seen now in healthcare systems was designed a long time ago. According to Matsuda et al. (2022), Alexander Graham Bell was the first person to explore telehealth, communicating with his aide Thomas Watson through a phone line. Based on Bell’s theory, the health industry has seen great transformation and development, with advanced technology now being used to improve treatment delivery and patient management. Telemedicine and wearables to check blood sugar levels are two examples of these emerging technologies. These developments facilitate access to health care, and clinicians may readily check the state and progress of their assigned patients.
Impact of Health Informatics on Patients
Health informatics has been shown to improve healthcare professionals’ efficacy in various ways. According to Khoury et al. (2022), healthcare data management improves medicine accuracy, patient data retrieval, health insurance accuracy, and patient information security. Medication mistakes have a harmful influence on patients. The scenario is frequently the result of inadequate data and prescription administration, which causes misunderstanding. Furthermore, Khoury et al. (2022) believe that health informatics provide rapid data retrieval, which enhances patient care delivery. New technology in healthcare settings is also assuring patient data security. This is true because passcodes and security passwords limit access to health information and data to authorized workers, effectively keeping out abusers.
Modern technology in health informatics is improving drugs. According to Khoury et al. (2022), the introduction of automated medicine distribution technology for storing and delivering pharmaceuticals has drastically changed how medications are administered in modern healthcare facilities. Since the 1980s, automated medication technology has evolved into sophisticated software and digital interfaces that improve pharmaceutical administration channels. It may also be stated that telehealth improves quality care delivery to patients since they receive prompt evaluations and appropriate drugs, and each patient’s data is well-managed, reducing the possibility of misunderstanding.
Impact of Health Informatics on Healthcare Facility
It is anticipated that technology usage in healthcare centers would greatly improve care delivery while also changing the design of healthcare facilities. According to Khoury et al. (2022), many new technologies are being developed to augment the employment of surgical and medication delivery robots. Nonetheless, current studies on the subject concur that health informatics has a positive influence on healthcare institutions in a variety of ways. The technology used in health information has superseded the outdated and time-consuming conventional data processing methods. Furthermore, information sharing among departments and clinics has been simplified with a single click. Finally, technology has increased patient engagement in their health through health programs placed on their computers and mobile phones.
The Role of the Internet in Health Care Informatics
According to its definition, telehealth is the use of contemporary technology to provide patient care. As a result, online portals, texts, and emails promote patient-centered care by improving communication between healthcare practitioners and their patients. Furthermore, consumers may access their health data and know what they suffer from. Because the Internet is widely regarded as a source of information, patients and physicians utilize internet-enabled tools to make inquiries and appointments (Jha et al., 2022). Patients can also better understand their problems or become more worried about their health by using the Internet and online information. The Internet at healthcare institutions helps clinical workers to swiftly acquire diagnostic information and, as a result, improve decision-making about patients’ health. Doctors, for example, can use the Internet to retrieve test findings, patient prescription data, and practice recommendations.
Technology in healthcare facilities is more than just a gadget; it is an idea that, when effectively implemented in this setting, can solve significant challenges that many healthcare institutions in the United States and throughout the world face. According to Jha et al. (2022), the electronic prescription is one method that physicians and nurses may use to track and restrict the distribution of highly sought-after drugs such as opioids, which are a major issue in the United States. Doctors and patients may monitor diseases such as diabetes using technological wearables such as Apple watches, making disease management possible. Jha et a. (2022) recognize that it is conceivable to cut the cost of diagnosing patients with existing healthcare technology and advancements such as AI and robotics.
Benefits of Telehealth
Telehealth is transforming healthcare systems and giving patients more access to doctors than in-person treatment. According to Jha et al. (2022), remote care administration saves time for both doctors and individual patients. Telehealth has increased flexibility in healthcare settings by reducing other constraints such as travel costs, childcare, and work hours. According to Jha et al. (2022), telemedicine has boosted cooperation prospects among medical specialties through optimal communication. Other recent studies concur that telemedicine has made it easier for patients to reach generalists and specialists, improving treatment success and hospital promotion.
Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners may maintain consistent communication with their patients using this technology in healthcare. This, for example, expedites treatment since patients will receive rapid guidance from their doctors in the event of an emergency (Jha et al., 2022). Recent studies have also found that telemedicine improves patient outcomes by assisting or preventing additional infections that patients may develop when receiving physical therapy. According to Jha et al. (2022), telemedicine enabled many physicians and caregivers to attend to their patients without becoming infected during the COVID-19 epidemic. This is because COVID-19 is an airborne illness; without sufficient safeguards, the doctor-patient relationship contributes to the disease’s transmission.
Advantages of Telehealth
Telehealth offers several benefits, prompting patients and doctors to embrace the new technology in the healthcare context. The first advantage is that you will save money on petrol, parking, and public transit. This is true because telehealth requires patients or healthcare practitioners to move to provide or receive care. Telemedicine has also eliminated the necessity for doctors or patients to miss work to provide or receive care. According to Jha et al. (2022), telemedicine balances care for children and ages since they can video-visit their health practitioners at home. Telehealth is also increasing access to specialists since patients used to have to travel considerable distances to visit a doctor. However, with telehealth deployment, individuals merely need to schedule an online conversation with their doctor to inquire about their health concerns.
Telehealth technology lowers one’s chances of catching new illnesses. This is because remaining at home eliminates the need to contact sick individuals in crowded waiting rooms. As a result, remote care delivery via video chats and communication keeps patients safer than in-person care. Telemedicine technology reduces time wasted in waiting rooms by allowing patients to schedule online visits with their doctors, allowing for more immediate treatment. Recent studies have concurred that telemedicine improves patients’ health more quickly than in-person care since they may contact their doctors more regularly (Jha et al., 2022). Finally, telehealth is becoming increasingly common in most healthcare institutions, and patients who choose it will most likely be able to communicate with their physicians via video visits.
How Telehealth can be Used for Stroke Patients
The original goal of Telestroke was to pool stroke specialists to be available for healthcare and people in need. According to English et al. (2021), the telestroke program was designed to send stroke experts into acute care units in hospitals to meet the requirements of patients. This was done expressly to provide rural and low-income communities with easy access to specialists, which has long been difficult for patients living in impoverished and misinformed areas. In some circumstances, telestroke technology is used in ambulances to detect the etiology of a stroke, saving time when the patient arrives at the hospital and allowing for faster medicine to save lives. As a result, stroke sufferers can greatly benefit from telehealth technology.
How the Security of Patient Information Can be Enhanced
HIPAA demands that all healthcare companies maintain patient data to protect confidentiality regardless of size. Teaching nurses and staff members is an excellent way to protect patient data security. Through education, individual nurses learn why they must keep patient data secure from unauthorized individuals. Another technique to maintain safety at a healthcare center is to limit patient data access. Only physicians and nurses, for example, will access this critical information while providing evaluation and care. English et a. (2021) state that establishing data management systems prevents patient data uploads or distribution to unauthorized emails and copying and printing without administrator approval. Logging and monitoring data consumption in the healthcare system is also critical for patient safety. This provides a final printout of who is accessing patients’ data and for what purposes. Data encryption by passwords, PINs, and patterns prevents unauthorized individuals from accessing stored patient data in an organization, increasing safety.
With telehealth, healthcare data is vulnerable to outside users attempting to destroy or erase critical systems that assist patient data management. As a result, limiting such possible danger by establishing a distinct network for telehealth keeps patients’ data secure. Regular risk assessments on the organization’s network reveal the vulnerabilities that can be exploited to acquire access to patients’ data (English et al., 2021). Because cyberattacks are a typical occurrence nowadays and jeopardize patients’ data, it is useful to have a backup system in place that may be used to restore data that has been corrupted or hacked by hackers. Furthermore, properly analyzing potential healthcare colleagues is vital to improving patient data security; following the legal and established data handling rules guarantees that confidentiality is maintained in healthcare facilities.
Potential Technology Needs
Given the prevalence of smartphones and cell phones nowadays, building a mobile health program is a viable technology that healthcare institutions might use to promote good health for their patients. According to English et al. (2021), m-Health is a phone application or program that can forecast one’s health issues and provide warnings. Furthermore, video conferencing, video scopes, and high-resolution cameras are examples of technology that may be used to improve telehealth. This is true because video conferencing allows healthcare institutions to overcome distance limitations in terms of healthcare delivery. Finally, remote patient monitoring is another tool that must be used to assist doctors and nurses in tracking and managing patients in rural and underserved locations.
Conclusion
Telehealth deployment involves technological complexities that staff workers and care providers, including doctors, must be familiar with for the program to be successfully implemented. Patients, for example, must be instructed on how to utilize mobile health application software. Furthermore, nurses and patients must understand the signs of the numerous wearables that come with telehealth (English et al., 2021). Computer training is another part of telehealth that should not be overlooked. This is because telehealth technology and solutions use computer fundamentals to connect and bridge the gap between patients and physicians for effective communication and video visits.
References
Alotaibi, Y., & Federico, F. (2017). The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi Medical Journal, 38(12), 1173-1180.
Matsuda, Y., Valdes, B., Salani, D., Foronda, C., Laporte, R., Gamez, D., & Sarik, D. (2022). Baby Steps Program: Telehealth Nursing Simulation for Undergraduate Public Health Nursing Students. Clinical Simulation In Nursing, 65, 35-44.
Khoury, P., Srinivasan, R., Kakumanu, S., Ochoa, S., Keswani, A., Sparks, R., & Rider, N. (2022). A Framework for Augmented Intelligence in Allergy and Immunology Practice and Research—A Work Group Report of the AAAAI Health Informatics, Technology, and Education Committee. The Journal Of Allergy And Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 10(5), 1178-1188.
Jha, A., Athanerey, A., & Kumar, A. (2022). Role and challenges of internet of things and informatics in Healthcare research. Health And Technology, 12(4), 701-712.
English, S., Barrett, K., Freeman, W., & Demaerschalk, B. (2021). Telemedicine-enabled ambulances and mobile stroke units for prehospital stroke management. Journal Of Telemedicine And Telecare, 28(6), 458-463.