Telehealth and telemonitoring: Case Study
Instructions:
The purpose of this assignment is to explore the use of telehealth technology in nursing practice, understand telehealth pathways and protocols, and understand the clinical and non-clinical uses of telehealth in a practical manner.
Following proper APA format, answering the questions below and including a synopsis of the case study (Use the Case Study from McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2015). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning. Chapter 19 pg.318: Early Detection of a Change in Condition ) at the beginning of the assignment.
VERY IMPORTANT – being mindful of the standards of care and scope of practice for nursing informatics, HIPAA, TJC, and other regulatory agencies in U.S.
Answering the questions below:
1)You include a comprehensive synopsis of the case study.
2)You expertly discuss the possible outcomes for this patient had she not been on a home telemonitoring system.
3)You insightfully identify potential costs and costs savings for home telemonitoring.
4) As telehealth and telenursing continue to be integrated into healthcare, what are the advantages and disadvantages from a patient’s perspective?
Solution.
Telehealth and telemonitoring: Case Study
Synopsis of The Case Study: Early Detection of a Change in Condition
As the case title suggest, it is imperative to understand the underlying benefits of home telemonitoring. In this case, there is an independent patient, Mrs. C, 96-years of age, and has a history of multiple hospitalizations from CHF and hypertension. It is noted from the case that a home telemonitoring device was placed in her home to help the nurse check her progress daily. Later, one morning, the reading on the telemonitoring device on the side of the nurse alarms a low oxygen saturation level. The nurse then called Mrs. C to confirm the reading which she later contacted Mrs. C’s physician who authorized hospitalization at once. Mrs. C was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism (Kinsella, Albright, Prial, & Hoss, 2015)(McGonigles & Mastrian, 2008).
Possible Outcomes Without Home Telemonitoring
In regards to the case study, the patient would have developed to a critical stage of pulmonary embolism, as the home care model would only monitor the patient thrice or twice a week. As such, home telemonitoring prompted effective care for the patient as well discovery of a new complication associated with hypertension and CHF.
Cost and Cost-Savings of Home Telemonitoring
As the cost of healthcare increases, it is important for an American citizen to minimize hospital visits to avoid extra costs of admission. As such for the elderly patients, it is imperative to utilize the cost saving nature of home telemonitoring. According to Upatising et al. (2015), there are no significant differences in the average total cost between telemonitoring and traditional home care model, but individuals with home telemonitoring tend to have a less variability in the cost of care, are less prone to die, and spend less in re-hospitalizations or readmissions. Alternatively, home telemonitoring is advantageous as when it decreases number of re-hospitalizations and improves patients outcomes(Madigan et al., 2013).
Patient’s Perspective’s on Telehealth
Patients have
perceived telenursing and telemedicine as one of the greatest milestones in the healthcare industry. As such,
patients can now interact with physicians any time and at any place. Additionally,
telenursing and telemedicine have improved the outcomes of patients with
chronic conditions(Madigan et al., 2013). Also, telehealth has helped
patients to easily access care and engage in their therapy with their
physician, without physical meetings.
Alternatively, the cost implication of telecare is the only disadvantage to
implementing this technology especially to patients who are in rural areas(mHealth, 2015).
References
Kinsella, A., Albright, K., Prial, S., & Hoss, S. F. (2015). Telenursing and Remote Telehealth. In D. McGonigle, & K. G. Mastrian, Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Madigan, E., Schmotzer, B. J., Struk, C. J., DiCarlo, C. M., Kikano, G., Piña, I. L., & Boxer, R. S. (2013). Home health care with telemonitoring improves health status for older adults with heart failure. Home Health Care Services Quarterly, 32(1), 57–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621424.2012.755144
mHealth. (2015). How the Telehealth Field Strengthens Patient Engagement. Retrieved February 27, 2017, from http://mhealthintelligence.com/news/how-the-telehealth-field-strengthens-patient-engagement
Upatising, B., Wood, D. L., Kremers, W. K., Christ, S. L., Yih, Y., Hanson, G. J., & Takahashi, P. Y. (2015). Cost Comparison Between Home Telemonitoring and Usual Care of Older Adults: A Randomized Trial (Tele-ERA). Telemedicine and E-Health, 21(1), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2014.0021