week 2 401 peer Responses

/in /by

In approximately 150 words, evaluate your peer topic summary.

jordan

The topic that I chose for Unit 2 was Telemedicine. Telemedicine is healthcare that’s done from a distance away. “ Telemedicine involves the use of electronic communications and software to provide clinical services to patients without an in-person visit. Telemedicine technology is frequently used for follow-up visits, management of chronic conditions, medication management, specialist consultation and a host of other clinical services that can be provided remotely via secure video and audio connections (CHRON, n.d.).”

I chose the topic of Telemedicine because of its popularity and the fact that it’s rising as the digital age carries on. It’s important to be informed of this topic because of the fact that it’s the future of medicine. It’s the way that healthcare is going in terms of being more convenient for the patient and the healthcare providers. It allows patients the ability to stay in the comfort of the home, while using the internet in order to have an appointment with their doctor. It allows the doctor the ability to go into their office and talk with the patient for the appointed time without interruptions occurring.

There are some drawbacks to Telemedicine though, the ethics of it more importantly. The fact that a doctor can’t physically access the patient and assess them with their own eyes, one-on-one, can lead to micro expressions and movements of patients that doctors would normally see and be questionable about, not being caught because of the distance that the internet creates. “A patient’s body language and voice inflection, a frown, diversion of gaze, or eye closure may signal discomfort, loss of interest, or inattention-awareness of which is crucial for the physician to ensure comprehension when making medical decisions. Telemedicine technology that failed to detect and transmit these nonverbal signals could impair the process of informed consent. A patient’s concerns might go unnoticed or his or her values be misunderstood (Cheshire, 2017).”

Still, Telemedicine is viewed as something progressive that can help more than hurt people. With bed-bound, incredibly weak, or disabled people, it provides the perfect means to seek doctor advice and updates but not tire themselves out.

An example of how Telemedicine could be discussed would be, when in my management position, I could bring up the topic to the higher-ups as this could lead to more patients coming in and more convenience for the doctors.

Key Points and Takeaways

  • Telemedicine is medicine health that is done over a distance
  • Can create ethical issues due to the patient and the physician not being in physical contact with each other.
  • Won’t work for serious medical issues, where seeking medical attention immediately is idle for maximum health.
  • Allows disabled, bed-bound, or just those that can’t get out to see a doctor regularly.
  • Is considered a leading, progressive healthcare service that will continue to be updated and changed for the better in the future.