GCU Transmission of Information Between Patients and Care Providers Discussion

Telehealth has really seen an increase, especially due to Covid-19 in the past year. I have personally used it and so has my husband when our provider’s office was closed. The benefits are the ability to be seen virtually 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and even holidays. This can help patients avoid using the ER for cold or flu symptoms when their office is closed. The drawback of this would be that the telehealth service may not notify the patient’s provider that the patient was seen virtually, and their records may not ever be transmitted to the provider. It can also be utilized by their provider to allow the patient to remain home but allow the provider to monitor the patient’s blood pressure, daily weights, or blood glucose. (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018) This would be a benefit for a patient who was recently discharged from the hospital who maybe would have a difficult time arranging transportation to the office. In the past, the patient may have skipped the appointment entirely. Now it enables the patient to still be seen and the provider to remain engaged in the patient’s health. A drawback of this would be the need for more invasive assessments would require the patient to go into the office.