Many travel nurses know that telemedicine is an important aspect of today's healthcare system. Even though it was developed more than 40 years ago, the ever-developing world of technology has helped ease the healthcare shortage and provides better care to patients.
Your travel nursing job may take you to rural regions where there is an imminent issue of understaffed facilities. As a result, this can put more stress on physicians, nurses and healthcare staff. Telemedicine is especially vital in rural areas where your patients are usually further away from hospitals and healthcare facilities. However, telemedicine is also useful in urban areas.
Becoming familiar with telemedicine
Telemedicine, or telehealth, may be a new concept to your patients. Thus, it is important to cover all of the bases when explaining the service. Telemedicine, in the broadest sense, provides medical education, consumer health information, remote patient monitoring and primary care, and specialist referral services. Combined with regular in-person visits, telemedicine is a beneficial supplement to traditional forms of healthcare. Additionally, telemedicine reduces the burden of healthcare costs because visits are cheaper than in-person and emergency room visits. Specifically, a standard ER visit runs anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000, according to Forbes. On the other hand, a typical telemedicine appointment costs an average of $40.
Because telemedicine visits are not as familiar as traditional doctor's appointments or hospital visits, it is important to reassure your patients that telemedicine is a safe, reliable and effective resource. In fact, telemedicine is comparable to services provided by in-person visits, based on research by the American Telemedicine Association where the organization accrued over 2,000 studies on the quality and services of telemedicine.
For some patients, telemedicine is especially beneficial for their health because staff are able to monitor individuals remotely. A study at the University of Michigan Health System proved that patients with severe and chronic conditions who used telemedicine had decreased complications than those who did not use telemedicine services.
Features of patient portals
Patient portals are staples of telemedicine and make communication between physicians, nurse, healthcare staff and patients more accessible and easier. The Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology explained that these portals give patients access to their personal health information 24/7 via a secure website. Through patient portals, your patients can gain access to their lab results, allergies, medications, immunizations and summaries of visits. On more advanced patient portals, patients can make payments, schedule appointments, request prescription refills and chat with a healthcare professional.
Many physicians and nurses believe that patient portals improve in-person visits as well. Dr. James Legan, a family practice physician in Great Falls, Montana, explained to U.S. News & World Report that patient portals have "transformed face-to-face visits." This is because patient portals help healthcare professionals and patients reach the same page due to the information (health history, current medications, etc.) found within the patient portal.
"Before [patients] even get home, they have a summary of what we've talked about," Legan told U.S. News. "It shows up on their secure patient portal."
When in-person visits are best
Although telemedicine and patient portals are great resources for your patients, it is important to stress that telehealth is not always the best healthcare solution. First, your patients should always go to the ER or an urgent health center if a medical condition becomes severe or there is an emergency. Secondly, in-person visits are a better option for patients when information is new, too serious or confusing to relay over typed words on the Internet.
When you're entering a new hospital on a travel nursing assignment, ask the hospital manager what telehealth systems and patient portals they have in place so that you can best serve your patients. It could make your job a little easier, and provide better care for your patients while on travel nursing assignments.
For more information on travel nursing and therapy jobs, contact Aureus Medical Group. They have a full staff on hand to help you find a travel healthcare assignment today.