Topic 1: Internet and e-health
The health resource services administration (HRSA) defines
telehealth as “the use of electronic information and
telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical
health care, patient and professional health-related education, public
health and health administration” (Bitar & Alismail (2021). Telehealth
is using technology and the internet to deliver health care services
that used to be traditionally done face to face directly between the
health care provider and the patient. Telehealth has been slowly
evolving over the years but with the covid -19 pandemic, it has
indeed revolutionized health care and is going to be utilized more in
the coming years.
Telehealth has been shown to significantly improved the
quality of healthcare by increasing accessibility and efficiency by
reducing barriers of distance and time and improving patient
outcomes. Telemedicine allows for providing healthcare in
underserved areas and rural areas through services such as
telecardiology, telepsychiatry, etc. The clinical applications of
telemedicine can be classified into four, they are real-time interactive
mode, store-and-forward mode, remote monitoring, and
communication via telephone mode. The most basic type of
telemedicine application is telephone communication which provides
communication and remote care delivery. In real-time telemedicine, a
link between the involved individuals allows a real-time interaction
to take place using a computer with an internet connection that
allows data to be sent from one location to another where people
can meet face to face or images can be viewed. Video conferencing
is an example of this type of application. In the Store and forward
mode all patient-related information, including digital images, video,
audio, and data, is captured, stored, and sent electronically to a
specialist or clinician at another facility for interpretation and
feedback. In remote monitoring, specialized devices such as a Cardiac
monitoring device connected to the patient record any abnormalities
and transmit data to the ordering Physician. Telemedicine services
allow international patients also to access health care in a distant
country eliminating the need for visas (Alvandi, 2017).
Telehealth became an essential requirement for the public, the health
care practitioners, and patients and patients with COVID-19,
especially when people were in quarantine, it allowed patients to
contact their health care providers for advice on their health
problems. During the Covid-19 outbreak in China, “online mental
health surveys with communication programs, such as Weibo,
WeChat and TikTok allowed mental health professionals and health
authorities to provide mental health services online” (Monaghesh &
Hajizadeh (2020).
Topic 2: Technology diffusion
Technological advancements in health care information technology
are increasing every day. Health care organizations are now required
to adopt electronic health records by the government and Health
information exchanges allow patient health information to be
exchanged between different health systems. The risk to the privacy
of health information can be a barrier to the exchange of health
information. There are legal risks from data breaches or misuse of
patient information. This could be weighed against the potential
benefits of easy accessibility and availability of health care
information. The HIPAA and Hitech acts safeguard patient privacy,
safety, and security. Accessing patient records for reasons other than
treatment, payment, etc. is a violation of HIPAA privacy and results
in a breach of patient information. This affects the security of the
patient health information. This can result in the termination of the
employee, and result in civil/criminal penalties to the staff member
and the organization. Failure to manage security risks and lack of a
risk management process is also a violation of HIPAA. These can
result in penalties and result in financial loss for the organization. The
HIPAA Security Rule requires covered organizations and their
business associates to have HIPAA compliant business agreements
and limit access to electronic patient health information (ePHI) only
to authorized individuals. The failure to have HIPAA-compliant
business agreements with vendors and failure to implement
appropriate ePHI access can result in HIPAA violations. Electronic
patient health information on portable devices must always be
safeguarded using encryption or an equivalent safeguard measure.
Failure to do so can also result in data breaches and result in
monetary penalties (Alder, 2022).
Implementing an EMR system can be costly to an organization but in
my opinion, ensuring the safety of patients’ health information is an
area of priority and should be focused on.
References
Alder, S. (2022). The Most Common HIPAA Violations You Should be
Aware Of. Retrieved from https://www.hipaajournal.com/common-
hipaa-violations/
Alvandi, M. (2017). Telemedicine and its Role in Revolutionizing
Healthcare Delivery. Retrieved from
ttps://www.ajmc.com/view/telemedicine-and-its-role-in-
revolutionizing-healthcare-delivery
Bitar, H., & Alismail, S. (2021). The role of eHealth, telehealth, and
telemedicine for chronic disease patients during COVID-19
pandemic: A rapid systematic review. Digital health, 7,
20552076211009396. https://doi.org/10.1177/205520762110093
96
Monaghesh, E., & Hajizadeh, A. (2020). The role of telehealth during
COVID-19 outbreak: a systematic review based on current
evidence. BMC public health, 20(1),
1193. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09301-4
