Veteran Affairs (VA) department has developed new technologies that have revolutionized healthcare for veterans. One of the technologies is the VA telehealth which offers services that are brightening the future of VA care to veterans. The program uses information and telecommunication technologies to improve the access to quality healthcare services while the practitioner and the patient are geographically separate. The program has focused mostly on Veterans who are in the rural areas who have difficulties in accessing health care so that they can easy and fast access to care. The main objective of telehealth is to ensure that healthcare is accessible, convenient, and patient-centered.
Clinical video telehealth is a replica of the face-to-face consultation where the patient and healthcare provider interact with the assistance of a nurse. The program mostly offers mental health services and specialty consultations. Economically, the cost of establishing more hospitals and employing consultants in those facilities would be more expensive. There has also been a reduction in travel costs with an average saving of $34.45 per video consultation. Studies show that the average savings associated with telehealth are between $1,238 and $1,999 per year per patient (National Academy of Sciences, 2015). Telehealth establishes telehealth outreach clinics and provides the necessary technology to allow the consultant with the help of nurses to take the vitals and interact with the patient through video and sound equipment.
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Thomas Baumgartner is a veteran who has a chronic respiratory condition and he had to travel all day to see a pulmonary specialist. Now he has to travel for only 15 minutes to a nearby VA clinic. He then examined by the pulmonologist whereby a qualified nurse helps the doctor is listening to the chest, lungs, and heart using a stethoscope. He then takes history through the technology provided to transmit images and sound. At the VA medical center, clinical psychologist Christine Frick helps veterans adjust to life after getting spinal code injuries. Bruce Poole who is a veteran suffers from spinal code injury and they would drive for four hours each way every week (VeteransHealthAdmin, 2009). The psychologist can see everything through the video and so assess their posture, facial expressions, and what they are doing which helps her interpret what the patient is feeling.
Veteran Bill Jacobs from Craig, Colorado, and the nearest VA hospital is more than 150 miles away and so used to miss doctor’s appointment because of storms. The telehealth clinic near his home has a nurse who helps the doctor by doing physical exams. The doctor has a stethoscope, which is done through the web, fiber optics, and high definition movable camera which can be moved to inspect body lesions (VeteransHealthAdmin, 2009).
All the veterans that were interviewed in the videos responded that they were satisfied with telehealth and they had confidence in the program. According to them, the program has reduced the distance they had to cover to see a doctor. The journeys had a lot of inconveniences like traffic jams, extreme terrain, and unfavorable weather. The interaction with the doctor gives them confidence in the program (VeteransHealthAdmin, 2009).
From the healthcare perspective, the program is effective since they responded in the video that telehealth enabled them to interact with their patients conveniently and effectively. The technology offered and the support they get from nurses help them carry out their duties effectively (National Academy of Science, 2015). There were many incidences of missed appointments which led to complications of conditions but with the increased attendance by the patient, the doctors can monitor the situation. It has bridged the patient-healthcare provider gaps which exist when there is a big distance between them. Healthcare providers no longer feel disconnected when caring for patients in remote areas.
References
National Academy of Sciences. (2015). The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment-Workshop Summary.
VeteransHealthAdmin. (2009, June 19). VA Telehealth: Real-Time Access To Care. Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJvmsMZoBzw
