“Telehealth interventions have the potential to allow for earlier detection
of key clinical symptoms, triggering early intervention from providers and reducing the need for patient hospitalization,” says Bonnie Wakefield, associate research professor in the Missouri University Sinclair School of Nursing. “Reducing the length and frequency of hospital stays can lower health-care costs for patients and hospitals, which helps patients manage their diseases and ultimately feel better.”
So exactly what is “telehealth intervention” anyway? Telehealth is a term given to the art of delivering health-care services via telecommunication technology. This kind of personalized patient/care-provider exchange is being used on an increasing basis, and it seems to be proving itself through significantly delayed hospital readmission rates when compared to patients who receive traditional care.
To understand how the use of technology affects patient-provider interactions, Wakefield evaluated the effectiveness of a telehealth home-based intervention in patients with heart failure. Patients were selected randomly to receive follow-up by telephone or videophone after hospitalization for heart failure. According to Wakefield, previous research on traditional clinic visits found that quality patient-provider relationships can improve patient satisfaction, adherence to treatment, clinical outcomes and understanding of information.
What, exactly, does it provide? “Telehealth does not necessarily change the care that providers give. Rather, it changes the communication channel between clinicians and patients to minimize geographic barriers and enhance delivery of service. According to patients, it is not important how the interaction happens, but just that it does happen. People who suffer from chronic illnesses usually wait three to six months between office appointments with their care providers. With video and telephone technology, nurses have the ability to interact regularly with patients and provide a sense of security. Patients discuss concerns on a frequent basis, and nurses give advice and detect problems that the patient might not notice,” Wakefield says.
“Although older patients may not be accustomed to using technology, it
doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to learn. Older patients feel they are contributing to society and education by testing innovative technology. They appreciate when health-care professionals take time to invest in their well-being.” Wakefield said it is critical to match technologies to patient needs and further evaluation is needed to determine which patients may benefit most from specific telehealth applications and which technologies are most cost effective.
The study, called “Home Telehealth for Heart Failure,” will appear in the Journal of Telemedicine and e-Health, and was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service.
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