Telehealth involves the process of giving out services and information related to health through electronic information. Telemedicine acts as a bridge to challenges such as lack of mobility. Nurses operating in such settings should consider some legal issues. Legal issues that should be considered include data transmission, confidentiality, patient privacy, and licensing (Brous, 2016). Usually, a nurse is licensed in one state where he or she is practicing. However, telehealth gives nurse practitioners extensive freedom. Telehealth enables nurses to assess the patient’s information from a remote location. Therefore, nurse practitioners should be aware of possible impacts assessing information that they are not licensed to assess.
Additionally, patient privacy is not a guarantee in a telehealth setting (Fathi & Scoth, 2017). Patient privacy exists in a relationship between the healthcare professional and the patient. The privacy does not focus on the system in which the professional and the patient communicate. Privacy is also affected by data transmission. Nurse practitioners should consider data transmission via secure networks.
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Nurses have the responsibility of protecting themselves as well as protecting the patients. Patient privacy and data should be protected from a third party. Nurse practitioners should only practice at states in which they are licensed. According to Borgetti & Clapham (2017), a nurse practitioner must learn the Nurse Practice Act of a state in which the patient is located because of a difference in the quality of care. Data transmission should be transmitted to the required personnel and upon the patient’s consent to improve patient privacy and confidentiality. Patient privacy can be protected by ensuring secure environment such that patient information is not unwittingly exposed (Balestra, 2018). The nurse should ensure that he or she completes all the basic training that is in use in the health-care facility. Nurse practitioners should be up-to-date with all the training related to their sector of competence if he or she practices independently.
References
Balestra, M. (2018). Telehealth and legal implications for nurse practitioners. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners , 14 (1), 33-39.
Borgetti, S. A., Clapham, P. J., & Young, J. D. (2017). Telehealth: Exploring Ethical Issues. DePaul J. Health Care L. , 19 , 1.
Brous, E. (2016). Legal considerations in telehealth and telemedicine. AJN The American Journal of Nursing , 116 (9), 64-67.
Fathi, J. T., Modin, H. E., & Scott, J. D. (2017). Nurses advancing telehealth services in the era of healthcare reform. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 22 (2).
