Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment
Electronic health records (EHRs) are becoming widely used in healthcare, and this is one of the general healthcare technology trends I have noticed in my nursing practice. Care coordination and communication are enhanced by the easy and rapid access to and updating of patient data made possible by electronic health records (EHRs). Yet, there are certain drawbacks and dangers related to EHRs, including the possibility of human mistake and data security breaches and privacy violations. Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment
An advantage of EHRs could include better data management with regard to patient care, regulations, and data security. With the help of EHRs, healthcare professionals may obtain patient data in real time and act fast to make well-informed decisions.
Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment However, there is a chance that data breaches will occur with EHRs, endangering patient privacy and putting healthcare institutions at risk of legal and financial repercussions.
Telehealth is an additional advancement in healthcare technology that holds potential to influence nursing practice. By utilizing technology like video conferencing, remote monitoring, and others, telehealth enables medical professionals to give care from a distance. By enhancing patient satisfaction, lowering healthcare costs, and expanding access to care, this may lead to better patient care outcomes. By eliminating the need for in-person visits and possibly increasing outcomes, telehealth, for instance, might enable medical professionals to remotely monitor patients with chronic diseases like diabetes or heart disease.
Telehealth does, however, have certain potential dangers and obstacles, including potential technical difficulties that could lower the quality of treatment given, problems with reimbursement, and problems with regulatory compliance. Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment Concerns around security and privacy may also make some patients reluctant to use telemedicine. EHRs also help healthcare providers make more informed decisions by providing real-time access to patient data such as medical history, medication lists, lab results, and imaging studies( Khalil (2024). Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment
All things considered, despite certain dangers and difficulties, developments in healthcare technology like electronic health records (EHRs) and telemedicine have the potential to enhance patient care outcomes, efficiency, and data management. Thus, it is imperative for healthcare providers to be up to date on evolving technology and apply them in a morally and responsibly manner. Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment
Discussion Response
The discussion post presents an informative analysis of healthcare information technology trends. I like that you identify electronic health records (EHR) as a critical healthcare technology that facilitates coordination and communication while enabling easy and rapid access to patient data. In addition, I like that you identify the advantages of EHR, including improving data management, compliance with regulations, and data security. Besides that, I like that you mention the risk of data breaches in EHR. Furthermore, I like that you identify telehealth as a health information technology trend allowing remote nursing services to be delivered. Additionally, I like that you identified potential dangers and obstacles to telehealth. While your discussion is well presented, I feel it can be improved by including four points. First, there is a need to indicate that the Covid-19 pandemic changed how people interact at the personal and professional levels. Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment The pandemic overwhelmed healthcare, which continued even after the deluge subsided. Telehealth offers a way to provide nursing care without placing nurses at risk (Luna et al., 2022). Second, there is a need to mention that the rapid take-up of telehealth introduces safety concerns and worries about the level of health-related data protection (Shaver, 2022). Third, there is a lack of knowledge and unpreparedness for the threat landscape of telehealth. Healthcare organizations continue to experience cybersecurity issues, including ransomware attacks and data leaks, which extend to telehealth (Tukur et al., 2023). Finally, despite the risks seen in telehealth, it may have a positive future as the general use of technology increases since it is an enabler for a more connected approach to healthcare. Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment It brings patients and medical personnel closer together, creating changes to the healthcare operating principles (Bouabida et al., 2022). Overall, the discussion post is well presented, but it can be improved by including the four points mentioned. Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment
References
Bouabida, K., Lebouché, B., & Pomey, M. P. (2022). Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic: An Overview of the Telehealth Use, Advantages, Challenges, and Opportunities during COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 10(11), 2293. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10112293
Luna, P., Lee, M., Vergara Greeno, R., DeLucia, N., London, Y., Hoffman, P., Burg, M., Harris, K., Spatz, E. S., Mena-Hurtado, C., & Smolderen, K. G. (2022). Telehealth care before and during COVID-19: trends and quality in a large health system. JAMIA open, 5(4), ooac079. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooac079
Shaver J. (2022). The State of Telehealth Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. Primary care, 49(4), 517–530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pop.2022.04.002
Tukur, M., Saad, G., AlShagathrh, F. M., Househ, M., & Agus, M. (2023). Telehealth interventions during COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review of applications, challenges, privacy and security issues. BMJ health & care informatics, 30(1), e100676. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjhci-2022-100676 Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic Assignment