The face of healthcare is changing rapidly. Today’s care providers and care channels look very different from what they did a decade or two ago, and they will certainly look very different a decade or two in the future. Today, one of the fastest-evolving forms of medical care is telemedicine. Also known as telehealth, telemedicine is the practice of interacting with patients online to solve their health issues or secure further care.
This article will explore how telehealth nursing is changing the face of the medical field and how nurses can adapt to the changes.
What is telemedicine?
Anyone who has needed help from a doctor or nurse practitioner and has seen them via video chat or telephone will be familiar with the idea of telemedicine. This is a relatively new practice rising in popularity around the country. Instead of making in-person appointments and attending them whenever the provider can fit patients in, telemedicine services make it easier to seek care, especially in rural areas without easy access to specialists.
While some people tie telemedicine visits to very simple health concerns like the common cold or perhaps a minor sinus infection, technology is making it possible for more serious and complex health issues to be seen by remote nurses and other care providers. Military nurses, for example, are already using advanced telehealth kits to assess patients in active combat zones who cannot visit a healthcare professional in person. Nurses serving extremely rural areas in underdeveloped countries are already making use of this telehealth tech, too, with kits very similar to the ones deployed by the military. These typically include:
- Dermascopes
- Ultrascopes
- Stethoscopes
- EKG monitors
- Real-time medical images
- Tools to facilitate interpreting information from all of the above
As you can see, telehealth has the potential to be expanded for use in many ways. While this technology has not yet become widely used in civilian nursing, telehealth is likely headed in this direction. In the future, it might be possible for nurses to do more than talk with a patient about their symptoms, increasing the efficacy of the treatment they receive. From assessing skin conditions to potentially even conducting ultrasounds, it is not ridiculous to say that telemedicine might soon be able to help pregnant women or patients with serious issues like cancer receive treatment at home.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the origins of telehealth and why it has become such an important part of life so quickly. We’ll also explore potential career opportunities for nurses in the field.
COVID callbacks
Telemedicine is not necessarily a new idea, although it is only recently widely available. As with so many changes to the healthcare system, the COVID-19 pandemic is the reason for the increase in telemedicine care. At the height of the pandemic, it was risky to visit public health places such as doctor’s offices and clinics. This was before the system had adapted the way it provides care to protect patients and there was a very real possibility that visiting a public hospital or office could result in a COVID-19 infection. This was especially concerning at clinics offering chemotherapy and radiation or providing care specifically to elderly people. These individuals were at a high risk for potentially fatal consequences if they fell ill, and care providers and patients alike were wary of taking the risk.
While the desire to see care providers in person waned slightly for some as the pandemic went on, the need for care did not diminish. Seeing patients online in large numbers was something of a novelty for healthcare facilities around the world, and yet the healthcare system adapted relatively quickly. Non-critical services were offered to keep patients as healthy and happy as possible in the face of such unprecedented change.
Telehealth services were initially intended as temporary measures to meet the needs of patients while the infection rate was high, and many facilities and providers expected to return to a ‘business as usual’ healthcare approach sooner rather than later. However, patients quite liked the ability to see their providers when time permitted and on their own terms, rather than driving to a physician’s office and waiting to be called back for care. Because it was so convenient, telemedicine quickly became a patient expectation rather than an inconvenience. As a result, many care providers have made telemedicine a permanent fixture in addition to more conventional healthcare appointments.
Telehealth was not immediately seen as the future of healthcare. But because of the convenience it offers care providers, patients, nurses, and everyone else involved in providing or securing care, it has become a more popular option. Care providers of all levels rely on evolving tools designed to make online-based healthcare as easy, simple, and effective as possible for all involved. To properly care for patients online, nurses must make use of these tools.
Why digital healthcare matters
Many people consider digital healthcare a luxury that most people can go without, but the reality is that digital healthcare is expanding care access for millions of people around the country.
The US is undergoing a time of transformation in its healthcare system. One of the biggest drivers of the change currently occurring in hospitals across the country is money. The US spends the most money on healthcare than anywhere else in the world. The country spent roughly $200bn on COVID-19 alone, and even that is only part of the big picture. In total, the money spent on healthcare in the US was more than $4 trillion in 2021. This averages to roughly $13,00 per capita. This is significantly more than other large and modernized countries. Germany, for example, spent roughly $8,000 per capita that same year.
Something to note here is that outcomes in the US don’t necessarily reflect the amount of money spent on patients. Patients often recover less effectively here than they do in other nations. There are a few different reasons for this, and they are unrelated to the quality of the nurses and doctors working in the country. On the contrary, the number of professionals in the field of medicine is driving this dip in health outcomes.
In the US, there is a rising nurse and doctor shortage in almost every state. As the shortage increases, the ratio of care providers to patients grows less and less ideal. This often leads to lowered outcomes when compared with other countries and healthcare systems. As more baby boomers retire, the number of professionals in the field is poised to fall even further. This is where digital medicine comes into play.
Telehealth allows more patients access to more care providers thanks to how much time it saves both nurses and doctors.
How can nurses adapt to telehealth?
Understanding why telehealth matters doesn’t make adoption any easier. Luckily, there are a few tools that help make practicing online easier and more efficient. Instead of trying to make habits and schedules designed around in-patient visits work digitally, nurses might consider making use of some of the tools below to ease their way into the digital healthcare sphere.
Here are some of the most widely used digital healthcare tools in the industry.
Electronic medical records (EMRs)
EMRs make it easy for nurses and other care providers to access up-to-date information about their virtual patients without searching for hard copies of everything they need. EMRs do more than make it easy for nurses to access information about their patients too. They also make it simple to update information about patients as they speak and on the fly. Instead of sitting down and dedicating time specifically to taking notes, nurses can spend more time interacting with their patients.
Extra time spent with patients is another factor in positive patient outcomes, so any way that nurses can streamline their care process with digital tools will improve the quality and breadth of the care patients receive.
Computerized provider order entry (CPOE)
CPOEs are also tools designed to make it easier for nurses to locate patient information digitally, but they focus more on order entries than patient history. When doctors prescribe medication or name certain treatment steps, for example, nurses keep track of the information via their CPOE interface. It is sometimes possible to send patient information from CPOE directly to EMRs too, making the integration of historical information and current-visit information much easier.
Patient portals
It used to be something of an involved process for patients to request medical records from their doctor and included a lot of time spent copying documents and searching archives. Today, many patients have access to their records online via a patient portal.
The exact features offered differ by provider, but in general, patients can send messages to their nurses or doctors, schedule appointments, and access medication histories and test results. This is a much faster alternative to reaching out to providers and requesting access to hard copies of documents.
Not only are patient portals excellent for patients, but they can be quite helpful for nurses as well. Instead of responding to calls about accessing test results, nurses can point patients to their patient portal. This saves nurses and physicians time throughout the day.
Education and digital technology training
Using any of the above tools can make adapting to virtual care much easier, but there are still a few things nurses can do to ensure they provide the best telehealth care possible. One of the biggest things they can do is take additional education based on virtual healthcare.
Nurses are no strangers to advanced coursework and education. After all, earning a degree in nursing is no joke! It takes a lot of time and dedication to succeed, but the hard work is justified when considering how much power nurses wield. By ensuring that nurses have a full understanding of patient protective policies, for example, or how to recognize and address medication complications, the quality of care patients receive improves dramatically.
The same is true for telehealth services. Nurses who understand not only how to use the tools available to them, but how to use them to the best of their ability, provide patients with better care than those who don’t. Fully embracing the advent of widespread telehealth services by taking the time to complete education and training opportunities is a great step for nurses to consider as they build strong careers, gain work experience, and optimize the care they provide to their patients.
Careers in telehealth
Rather than simply adapt to telemedicine tools as they become a bigger part of healthcare, some nurses are looking for the opportunity to put their skills into action and work primarily in telehealth settings.
What are telehealth nurses?
Registered nurses (RNs) using primarily telecommunication tools such as emails, messaging, phone, video, and live chat, among others, are known as telehealth nurses. These nurses have the same credentials as RNs but with an emphasis on cutting-edge technology. They are an important care provider for patients who require high-quality care to improve and maintain their health, particularly in areas with no specialized physicians. Nurses with advanced degrees such as a nurse practitioner degree, for example, are often responsible for providing both general and specialized care to their patients online as they are able.
What do telehealth nurses do?
Can telehealth nurses truly treat patients online? The short answer is yes, telehealth nurses can care for patients online in a wide variety of circumstances. People in need of general, routine care, for example, are ideal for telemedicine. Sinus infections, colds or influenza are all common and relatively minor issues that telehealth nurses can help with.
Even in situations where the patient requires more highly specialized care than they can provide, telemedicine nurses can help patients find and contact the right provider for their needs. They can also explain whether patients should seek immediate care, should make an appointment to see a care provider in person, or can feel better without any serious medical intervention at all.
Other responsibilities often held by telehealth nurses include:
- Scheduling appointments.
- Providing referrals to specialists.
- Consulting with patients via phone or video chat.
- Educating patients about how to best manage their symptoms and health conditions.
- Monitoring patient’s vital signs (assuming they have the proper tools).
- Pre-surgical guidance and post-surgical check-ins.
- Providing primary care and reducing patient load on doctors.
- Treating minor health concerns.
- Helping medical response teams identify, locate, and transport patients to the hospital.
Note that this list is not exhaustive, nor is completely accurate for every telehealth nurse. Some, especially those with a nurse practitioner’s degree, might have more tasks and responsibilities.
Where do telehealth nurses work?
Telehealth nurses can work wherever they are needed. This is something to keep in mind for those wondering how to become a nurse practitioner in NC or anywhere else in the country. Nurse practitioners complete more academic work but have the added benefit of working in physician’s offices, hospitals, emergency centers, trauma centers, and outpatient care clinics, among others. Those who pursue a qualified Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from a reputable university (Texas Woman’s University, for example) can work as a telehealth nurse anywhere they desire.
Becoming a telehealth nurse
Those interested in working with patients online should find a program that emphasizes telehealth nursing skills and start looking around their preferred area of practice to see what kinds of jobs are available. A telehealth nurse has the freedom of practicing from almost anywhere they have internet access!