January 26, 2023
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant shift to telehealth, which caused many healthcare organizations to scramble to ramp up not only to get the technology and additional connectivity but also to train hundreds of providers and staff to handle the influx. The delivery of proper care and creating a secure, seamless experience comparable to an in-person visit depend heavily on preparation. By doing this, you can persuade patients to accept and have faith in the service in the present and the future.
Continue reading this guide to learn more about telehealth services, its benefit, and how healthcare organizations can introduce telehealth to their staff to improve patient care.
Telehealth provides clinical care over long distances, educates patients and healthcare professionals, promotes public health, and manages health care. Video-conferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications are examples of technologies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people found telehealth helpful and still do. Here are several examples of telehealth services that could benefit your medical practice.
To provide care remotely, some clinics use telehealth apps to facilitate patients with virtual visits, for instance. It enables patients to speak with a nurse, mental health counselor, or healthcare professional via phone or video chat.
Numerous conditions, including migraines, skin conditions, diabetes, depression, anxiety, colds, coughs, and COVID-19, can be treated through virtual visits. When an in-person visit is unnecessary or impossible, the patient can receive care from a provider through these visits.
Some people may use a telephone or web-based services for medical care or advice. Patients are led through several questions when they call or log into a website offering primary or urgent care. The doctor or nurse practitioner may prescribe drugs. Or they might recommend additional medical attention or home care advice.
Primary care physicians or medical staff can remotely check your health thanks to various technologies. You can upload data to your provider or the medical staff using web-based or mobile apps. Devices that wirelessly send information about matrices like blood pressure, blood sugar, and oxygen levels.
Wearable devices might record information about your heart rate, blood sugar, walking style, posture, tremors, physical activity, or sleep, for instance. Home monitoring systems can detect changes in daily activities, such as falls, in elderly or dementia patients.
To better serve their patients, providers can also use technology. For instance, clinicians can get advice from specialists in other cities through a virtual consultation when they have questions about a diagnosis or treatment.
These online consultations could reduce the need for pointless in-person referrals to a specialist. They might shorten the time patient has to wait to see a specialist. Additionally, it might eliminate the need to visit a specialist.
Many healthcare organizations are working quickly to implement telehealth technology and train staff on new workflows due to the sudden need for virtual care delivery. The team using telehealth solutions determines its effectiveness, so they must be fully trained because a telehealth app is only as effective as the team using it.
To make sure you're developing a sustainable care plan for patients, here are a few things you can do to train and support your team as you implement telehealth:
Your telehealth solution provider will be your best ally in ensuring that your staff is properly trained during the onboarding process. After all, they installed their system because they want your company to succeed. The solution provider will typically give you initial training on using their program; every user must attend and get consistent instructions. To continue with refresher training in the future, they might also assist you in identifying essential training areas.
Check to see if your telehealth solution provider offers additional virtual sessions that can be scheduled at a later time if some of your staff won't be able to attend the initial sessions. This will ensure that nobody is left behind.
The best practice when implementing telehealth is to continuously run various scenarios to test your equipment's capabilities, connectivity with remote healthcare providers, and comfort with the modified workflow. The telehealth system can simulate daily tasks and unanticipated events, boosting staff morale and making them more comfortable using their tools.
To develop a sustainable telehealth program, it is also essential to allow staff members to learn some fundamental troubleshooting techniques. Simulated telehealth encounters will ensure that the technology supports how you deliver patient care.
Running an initial training session is only the beginning of deploying a telehealth solution. It would be best if you made it a practice to regularly check in with your staff to ensure they are using technology effectively. It is an opportunity to interact with your healthcare staff, address any unresolved issues, and further pinpoint any areas that still require development. Keep in mind that you can always get in touch with the provider of your telehealth solution for ongoing assistance and, if necessary, more training. Once you have been using the workflow for a short while, you may need a refresher course.
Some clinicians may be familiar with the best ways to implement telehealth as more and more providers use this service. How can we ensure that our clients continue to benefit from their sessions when they take place electronically? Another issue is the client experience.
talkEHR has discovered over time that the telehealth solution must operate in unison with your current workflow and offer a patient experience that is as similar to "in-person" as possible. Introducing new solutions to staff can be challenging, so we are committed to helping your team feel comfortable using the system.
