Problem Identification Currently, the world faces a shortage of medical professionals as the population continues to increase and with more incidences of chronic illnesses. With the increased the cost of healthcare, telehealth offers an efficient tool for delivery of quality care. The problems that prompted the development of telehealth include: • Large population increase in the U.S. With a 20 percent estimated rise between years 2008 to 2030 (Hein, 2009). • The constraint in number of educated, trained as well as licensed healthcare professionals •rise in chronic diseases incidences globally, such as diabetes and heart failures •the obligation to offer quality care to the elderly, and the home-bound, as well as the physically disabled population …show more content…
Telehealth offers real-time communication where a patient consults with a physician or where a nurse practitioner consults with a specialist through a link. In such cases, the patient can access primary care without going to the clinic. Reaching patients at home saves not only travel times and related practitioners and patients expenses but also improves patient survival as well as recovery. Effectiveness of the TELEHEALTH (ethical-legal issues) The effectiveness of telehealth technology is affected by issues of ethics, costs of infrastructure and legal issues. To begin with the ethical considerations include confidentiality, non-maleficence as well as consent. According to Brahams (1995), ethical issues that arise from the use of Telehealth involve the responsibility of healthcare professionals; patients confidentiality of their medical information; as well as issues of cross-border consultations (Brahams, 1995). Patient ethical …show more content…
It is vital to ensure the privacy of patient medical data. Since video conferencing in Telehealth involves speaking louder, rooms must be checked for physical as well as audio privacy. Breaches on privacy cold also occur in the transmission of data and its storage. However, telehealth also improves patient privacy as they do not have to face with the psychiatrist. The second ethical issue is informed consent. Telehealth must provide enough information to the patient information to assist them in making informed consent. The third ethical issue is access to care. Telehealth ensures equitability in access to care, a vital ethical gain for patients. Lastly is autonomy. Telehealth is highly convenient and enhances patients service options. Giving patient options for care such as social reasons respects the autonomy of