Today’s discussion was very enlightening as a future nurse in an ever changing medical environment. Prior to this conversation, I was under the impression that telehealth and telemedicine were essentially interchangeable concepts. I now understand that the term telehealth refers to a broad range of remote technology and services that can be either non-clinical or clinical. Telemedicine, on the other hand, is a subset of telehealth that refers solely to the use of telecommunications technology in a clinical setting. These are significant differences and all healthcare professionals should be aware of such distinctions.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of today’s discussion was the examination of the history of telehealth and telemedicine. The twenty-first century came with a lot of changes in the medical field after the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) To Err is Human report found that errors in medicine were actually a result of poor systems rather than incompetent healthcare professionals. This led to a significant quality and safety movement in the healthcare setting. During this same time, there was a predicted nursing, physician, and pharmacist shortage with a number of aging “baby boomers” requiring care. All of this influenced the healthcare system to place an emphasis on technology. Technology proved itself as an asset to healthcare when the COVID-19 pandemic developed as it allowed for certain aspects of patient care to continue without the need of the legitimate presence of another human being in the room. For example, respiratory therapists were able to perform ventilator rounds without having to go into the room of the sick patient, keeping respiratory therapists safe and allowing them to complete their tasks in a more timely manner. Additionally, this technology allowed patients’ families to visit their loved ones without physically being in the room. We were very fortunate to have such technological advances already put into place during such a scary and uncertain time.
As a future nurse, I can see many ways that telehealth and telemedicine can be utilized to enhance patient care, but at the same time I can see how it can hinder care. Currently, there are developments of telepresence that are utilizing robots such as the ROBEAR, which is used to help move and lift patients. This type of development can create a safer environment for healthcare professionals such as CNAs and nurses because they are not putting themselves at risk for injury. Another interesting example of such advancements is the JaMMeR used at Duke University that allows professors to be in the presence of students while in the clinical setting without the professor actually having to be onsite. This type of technology is significantly beneficial to our current healthcare shortage. There are many healthcare professionals who are adamantly opposed to the use of robotics in any setting and this is certainly understandable. However, I believe that this type of unyielding disapproval in any sort of change creates further, unnecessary conflict and can impede patient care. The role of technology in medicine has and will continue to grow, with or without healthcare professionals’ support or approval. Therefore, I believe that we need to have a generalized acceptance for such developments, utilize the assistance as much as possible, and be tolerant of change.
