The use of technology in healthcare delivery can help healthcare systems, organisations, and providers increase access to and improve the quality, safety, and effectiveness of rural healthcare. Using telehealth in rural areas to deliver and assist with the delivery of healthcare services can reduce or eliminate the challenges and burdens that patients face, such as transportation issues when traveling for specialty care. Telehealth is the use of telecommunications technology and other electronic data to provide remote clinical healthcare services, such as education, administrative functions, and professional consultations. Health information technology (HIT) refers to the electronic storage, security, retrieval, and transfer of protected health information within healthcare systems and community settings. Telehealth and HIT can enhance monitoring, timeliness, and communication throughout the healthcare system.

Telehealth became a more popular mode of providing medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, as patients and providers sought to reduce in-person contact for routine visits. To expand access to telehealth from patients' homes and increase provider flexibility, laws, reimbursement policies, and regulations were temporarily altered through emergency orders and legislation. Some of these policy changes at the state and federal levels have been made permanent or extended beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), while others have expired.

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How does technology improve healthcare access?

Technological advancements have enabled healthcare providers and organisations to optimise healthcare deliver and have the potential to close, allow efficient and secure sharing of health records, and increase opportunities for training and quality improvement.

Health information technology (HIT) allows patients to participate in the delivery of their healthcare by tracking health conditions, accessing provider visit notes, and viewing test results. HIT has demonstrated positive effects on the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery.

What types of services have proven to be effective?

Telehealth services help rural healthcare providers to provide quality healthcare services locally and at lower costs via e-visits and virtual visits, allowing rural patients to get necessary care without traveling long distances. Telehealth services can also improve healthcare quality by allowing rural providers with limited access to specialist colleagues to treat a broader range of medical conditions through consultation and collaboration. Rural healthcare facilities may also find it more practical to provide speciality services via telehealth rather than having speciality and subspeciality providers on site. As a result, telehealth can help facilities improve access and provide a broader range of healthcare services, such as:

• Audiology
• Cardiology
• Dentistry
• Dermatology
• Mental health 
• Substance use disorder (SUD) services
• Obstetrics
• Oncology
• Ophthalmology
• Radiology

Moreover, Examining Rural Hospital Bypass (ERHB) for Inpatient Services explains that avoiding rural hospital bypass and patient transfers when care can be provided locally is essential for hospital and provider viability in rural areas, as well as keeping beds open for patients requiring critical care at tertiary care facilities.

Healthcare services and programs effectively provided with telehealth platforms in rural communities include:

• Chronic care management interventions employ telehealth to provide patients with integrated care during primary care visits.
• Provider-to-provider education models, such as Project ECHO- Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, enable rural primary care and specialist providers to collaborate and manage patient care.
• E-consults are a provider-to-provider model that allows providers to share patient records and receive recommendations from experts in specific fields.
• E-visits enable patients to communicate with a provider via a secure messaging system, which is often accessed through an online portal. E-visits allow you to ask a healthcare provider questions about symptoms or emerging acute conditions. Providers may recommend treatment, write prescriptions, or schedule in-person appointments.
• Virtual visits help patients to meet with their provider using real-time, two-way audio-visual communications technology, often through an online patient portal or other secure, HIPAA-compliant platform. Virtual visits may replace or supplement in-person visits. In certain situations, audio-only visits may be appropriate. Examples of virtual visits include online therapy and remote counselling, which connect rural residents to behavioural health and mental health counselling services.
• Tele-emergency services enable real-time two-way video communication between emergency medicine physicians and nurses in rural emergency departments.
• Telepharmacy improves access to pharmacy services, including medications and medication counselling, in rural healthcare facilities and community pharmacies.
• Virtual professional communities bring together providers working in remote areas who can help with patient care.
• Interpreter services can be transmitted on-demand using audio and visual technology for patients who speak limited or no English.
• School-based telehealth can improve access to paediatric care and, in some cases, telehealth for the entire community.

What is the relationship between health information technology and telehealth?

HIT and telehealth are interconnected and complementary concepts. Both use technology to improve the efficiency and delivery of healthcare services in a healthcare system, in unique ways. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) defines HIT as a collection of technologies and programs for analysing, storing, and sharing health information. HIT encompasses electronic health records (EHRs), personal health records (PHRs), e-prescribing, online communities, and online patient and provider communications. 

HIT can be used to reliably share electronic health records (EHRs) between providers, as well as to provide patients with access to medical history information, data and test results, and other personal health information, typically via a provider or health system-maintained portal. Meanwhile, telehealth allows patients to communicate with and visit providers without having to travel to see them in person.

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Final Words:

We all know the role of telemedicine in rural nursing is an advanced and also complex topic for nursing students. That is why we created a above easy guide for students, so they can get an overview of this topic. Enjoy reading!