NURS FPX6412 Assessment 3 Manuscript for Publication
Context
Assessment 3: Manuscript for Publication
Student Name
FPX6412
Capella University
Prof Name
Month Date, Year
Manuscript for Publication
In the last assessment, we discussed the benefits of introducing telehealth technology that focuses on wireless communication in less developed or underdeveloped areas. This system will help enhance communication with those patients who are home-bound and unable to travel frequently. It will also increase the coordination of care due to ease of communication. The paper below looks at existing healthcare technology in the hospital, risks for establishing the modern technology, implementation schedule, staff training, and collaboration and maintenance strategies for the specified telehealth technology.
Adequacy of Existing Healthcare Technology Infrastructure in an Organization
To ensure the successful implementation of the upgraded telehealth technology, the presence of adequate technology infrastructure is necessary. In our organization, there are multiple issues regarding existing infrastructure, which might affect the installation and efficient use of the upgraded telehealth technology. First, a major issue in the organization is low bandwidth and sluggish internet connections. The low bandwidth severely affects the performance of live videoconferencing, which is an important part of telehealth technology. Moreover, as medication errors are common, it will be best if telehealth technology is integrated into the hospital’s EHR system.
End-users will have a better perception of this technology if these issues can be fixed, as low bandwidth deteriorates video quality, making it difficult to communicate effectively (Gomes, 2019). Moreover, the telehealth system should provide full patient support that is in-build to help end-users. Next, the privacy and security of an internet system and healthcare technologies should be thoroughly assessed to ensure that data is protected to remain HIPAA compliant (Snoswell et al., 2020).
For the above-stated reasons, the organization’s technology infrastructure will have to be upgraded to accommodate the new telehealth technology. The changes that should be made first depend on conducting a network assessment to discover why the Wi-Fi is slow and why the bandwidth is low. These issues are usually caused by a high density of internet users, interference, not enough security measures, and so on. The network assessment can help uncover these gaps so that they can be addressed. Next, the network should be routinely cleaned up via troubleshooting. There are many areas in the hospital that do not receive enough signals and to ensure that they have adequate signals, the network assessment will reveal what changes need to be made. To ensure high bandwidth, it must be determined which applications are being sued. Too much social media use hinders bandwidth, thus, to ensure a high bandwidth, some applications’ use can be limited to boost performance.
Tasks and Responsibilities for Deploying an Updated Technology
Some multiple tasks and responsibilities will be delegated to various professionals to successfully deploy this technology. the main responsibility here lies in the hospital’s IT department. As technology use and implementation are managed primarily by the hospital’s IT department, their role in implementing the above technology is crucial. The network assessment will have to be conducted by the IT department, to highlight what factors are causing low bandwidth and lagging internet. Once the issues have been identified, the IT department will be responsible for managing the hardware and software aspects of the technology.
Next, the healthcare technology manager will be responsible for managing, utilizing, and repairing telehealth technology. Health information managers will then aid with the integration of the EHR into the telehealth system so that a patient’s complete healthcare and medical record can be assessed, and medication errors can be prevented (Curtz et al., 2021). All healthcare leaders have a role in supporting the use of the technology, such as by providing financial resources and other required resources. Healthcare managers can also function as change managers and help professionals adapt to the use of innovative technology. The informatics nurse will also have key responsibility here in ensuring the use of the recent technology, and in assessing patient data.
Implementation Schedule
Regarding the implementation of the upgraded telehealth technology, a strategy is required. Primarily, as aforementioned, once the network assessment has been conducted, issues such as signals, high density for users, etc., can be solved by limiting access to specific applications. However, if the assessment shows that the internet connection is still inadequate, the implementation schedule should focus on finding a better, more secure, and faster internet connection from a dependable provider, so that this issue can be solved completely. Another main issue is the safety of the system. The old infrastructure may lag in safety requirements. For this reason, it should be changed, as the telehealth technology and integrated EHR system use patient data. To remain HIPAA compliant, safety must be ensured (Taylor & Fuller, 2021). It will be better to first upgrade the existing infrastructure to solve the issues discussed, and then install the recent technology. This way will help improve the end-user experience and will not deteriorate the quality or performance of the innovative technology. Therefore, it is preferable to upgrade the old infrastructure before the installation of the new system.
Staff Training Requirements and Strategies
While modern technology is being installed, it is important to begin staff training to help them be proficient in the use of this technology. Physicians and doctors have the role of interacting with the patient over telehealth technology and diagnosing them, as per the patient’s medical history and requirements (Manocchia, 2020). To ensure that they can fulfill their roles with ease when using this technology, their training should focus on interacting with patients via this platform. The main duty in utilizing this technology adequately is that of the nurse.
They should be trained on using it for interacting with the patient, providing therapy and counseling, explaining treatment plans, and providing care management. Staff will use the innovative technology by accessing the telehealth system on hospital computers, and the EHR system integrated within it will allow healthcare providers to record data, document patients’ diagnoses, and send information to concerned healthcare providers (Laika et al., 2020). The effectiveness of the training will be assessed by having a trial run before fully allowing the use of the system to determine whether each healthcare provider is proficient in its use or not. In case any staff finds difficulty with using it during the trail run, another training session will be held to address queries.
Strategy for Collaboration with Patients and Healthcare Providers
End-users, mainly patients, have shown a positive response since telehealth has been incorporated by various hospitals. In 2021, over 55% of patients stated that they felt more comfortable using telehealth services (Cherba et al., 2022). Most patients feel more comfortable with having online appointments, as they can do it from the comfort of their homes. Where patients struggle with traveling to hospitals or reside in remote areas, telehealth is a beneficial solution. However, some factors make patients feel that telehealth is not as sufficient. Many patients fear that it will be more expensive for them overall as they will not be reimbursed under the Medicare scheme. Moreover, patients worry about the safety of their data as online systems are more susceptible to hacking and data leaks.
Healthcare professionals can make use of leadership strategies to make the implementation and usage of upgraded telehealth technology a success. One such strategy is to expand upon the use of telehealth by presenting it in a more humanized way (Donelan et al., 2019). When moving treatment to a digital platform, it can be difficult to maintain the healthcare organization’s vision. However, to successfully use this technology and reduce negative views regarding it, leaders of an organization should make sure that they prioritize and highlight the organization’s care priorities. When using telehealth, the organization should make sure it produces a unique way of communicating with patients, while keeping in mind the patient’s well-being. Moreover, families of patients should be involved in the telehealth process, just like they are in actual hospitals so that a more enhanced role can be played to understand the patient’s requirements and preferences.
Post-Deployment Technology Maintenance and Evaluation Strategy
To effectively evaluate telehealth in the organization’s healthcare process, evaluation mechanisms are necessary. Mapping workflows will also healthcare providers to document useful interventions that occur before, during, and after using a telehealth procedure. To determine how workflows will be affected, the following questions should be kept in mind: how to inform the availability of telehealth services to patients, which healthcare professional has the duty to follow-up care, and how will data be integrated and shared, and so (Lebar et al., 2022). The creation of a workflow asking these kinds of questions will allow an organization to clearly define its telehealth service, what it offers, and how it will function.
By planning the workflow, it can be determined which workflow measures are working or not. If a complete procedure is laid out for telehealth services, the organization’s response will be timely and efficient. It should be clarified how patients can schedule appointments, patients with language barriers are to be supported, how disabled patients are to be treated, how patient information is to be accessed, etc. Emergency plans in case of crisis should also be produced (Chuo et al, 2020). When it comes to the maintenance of the provision of telehealth services, the telehealth strategy should be constantly evaluated to keep up with patients’ ever-changing needs. Moreover, IT professionals should regularly monitor the system so that it always runs smoothly.
References
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Chuo, J., Macy, M. L., & Lorch, S. A. (2020). Strategies for Evaluating Telehealth. Pediatrics, 146(5), e20201781. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-1781
Curtz, J., Mazariegos, J., Adeyemo, J., Smith, C., DiOrio, A., Logan, K., & Russell, H. (2021). Responding to an Emerging Need: Implementing Telehealth in Acute Hospital Rehabilitation. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 102(9), 1840–1847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2021.05.006
Donelan, K., Barreto, E. A., Sossong, S., Michael, C., Estrada, J. J., Cohen, A. B., Wozniak, J., & Schramm, L. H. (2019). Patient and clinician experiences with telehealth for patient follow-up care. The American journal of managed care, 25(1), 40–44.
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Laika, E., Ruhakana’s, M., Heponiemi, T., & Kanste, O. (2020). Identifying the Roles of Healthcare Leaders in HIT Implementation: A Scoping Review of the Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(8), 2865. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082865
Lebar, K., Chandra, S., & Hollander, J. E. (2022). Role of nursing in telehealth. Nursing, 52(6), 42–46. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NURSE.0000829908.44004.9a
Manocchia A. (2020). Telehealth: Enhancing Care through Technology. Rhode Island medical journal (2013), 103(1), 18–20.
Snoswell, C. L., Taylor, M. L., Comans, T. A., Smith, A. C., Gray, L. C., & Caffery, L. J. (2020). Determining if Telehealth Can Reduce Health System Costs: Scoping Review. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(10), e17298. https://doi.org/10.2196/17298
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