Assignment: The Difference Between Telehealth and Telemedicine

Assignment: The Difference Between Telehealth and Telemedicine

Assignment: The Difference Between Telehealth and Telemedicine

Explore the difference between telemedicine and telehealth and address when it is appropriate to use each of these by addressing the benefits and limitations of each.

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The Difference Between Telehealth and Telemedicine

In 1999 there was a damning report that was released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that caused a ripple effect within the healthcare sector necessitating major changes in practice. The report was essentially an indictment of healthcare workers in that it found them responsible for a significant number of preventable deaths of patients due to errors that are themselves very preventable. The estimate as per the report was that at that time about 98,000 patient deaths were occurring annually as a result of preventable errors committed by healthcare employees including nurses and physicians (Palatnik, 2016). The remedy for this as the report suggested was the incorporation and implementation of technology into healthcare practice so that it could help humans reduce the incidence of errors as they cared for patients (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). One of these technologies that have come to be of great benefit in clinical practice has been variously referred to as telehealth, telemedicine, and telenursing. The purpose of this paper is to distinguish between telehealth and telemedicine as well as the benefits and limitations of each of them.

The Difference Between Telehealth and Telemedicine

The terms telehealth, telemedicine, and telenursing are actually not interchangeable and have different connotations. They are however related as the principle of care delivery in all three is the same. Telemedicine is the delivery of medical care remotely to patients without having them come to the health facility and it includes the services of a physician. Telenursing on the other hand is the delivery specifically of nursing care by nurses remotely to patients who are within their home environment, without the nurse having to physically go to the patient. These two are forms of telehealth (AAFP, 2021). This means that telehealth is a general term that includes the other two. Telehealth relies on Internet connectivity and the use of an audiovisual video link with the patient without having the patient travel to the healthcare facility physically. It has revolutionized healthcare delivery and made it easier to access healthcare services for patients who are either frail or unable to pull together the funds to travel to a far-off healthcare facility all the time.

Advantages and Limitations of Telemedicine and Telehealth

The most significant advantage of both telehealth and telemedicine is that they save on healthcare costs and time. Because the patient does not have to travel all the way to be physically present at the healthcare facility, they save on a lot of what they could have spent seeking care. On the part of the healthcare professional, there is also a lot of time saved and it is very convenient. Because the patient is seen in their home environment through the audiovisual link, it is possible for the healthcare provider to deduce the nature of some of the social determinants of health affecting the patient at home. An appropriate example would be living conditions. The nurse practitioner of any other provider will be able to see the environment in which the patient lives and make deductions.

There are also limitations or disadvantages of telehealth and telemedicine. Because they rely on Internet connectivity there is a possibility that there may be unauthorized access to confidential patient information by third parties. This could be the result of data mining by competitors or identity theft by criminals (CMS, 2018). When this happens, patient data and its integrity are compromised and the patient is exposed. This is illegal and a breach of confidentiality and that is why the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA exists. Telehealth and telemedicine therefore have limitations in that they may lead to the violation of the bioethical principles of autonomy (informed consent) and nonmaleficence (avoidance of harm to the patient).

Conclusion

Telehealth and telemedicine are related in meaning but the former includes the latter. They involve remotely providing care to the patient through a video link as they remain at home and the healthcare provider remains at the healthcare facility. There are however advantages and limitations that have been outlined in this paper.

References

American Academy of Family Physicians [AAFP] (2021). What’ the difference between telemedicine and telehealth? https://www.aafp.org/news/media-center/kits/telemedicine-and-telehealth.html

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS] (2018). HIPAA basics for providers: Privacy, security, and breach notification rules. https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/Downloads/HIPAAPrivacyandSecurity.pdf

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K.G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge, 4^th ed. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Palatnik, A. (2016). To err is human. Nursing Critical Care, 11(5), 4. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.CCN.0000490961.44977.8d