Telehealth

Number 1: EW

Telehealth is a way for patients to receive care from providers wherever they are, as long as they have a mobile device and access to the internet. It has made it possible for hundreds of thousands of people to continue to access healthcare for years in rural areas and throughout the recent COVID-19 pandemic. A little over 40% of people reported that they delayed seeking in person healthcare at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which correlated with a massive increase in people seeking telehealth around this same time (Koonin et al., 2020). Telehealth makes it possible for people who fear seeking care or who cannot access it due to distance or time constraints to have the opportunity to access general and specialized care.

One issue that has been noted with telehealth is a lack of relationship building and positive communication with physicians over the internet. Therapeutic communication can be difficult through devices; however, it is possible if emotional care is provided. When providers offer emotional care, they offer to their patients an opportunity to build mutual respect, trust, and empathy which helps a relationship between them flourish (Toh et al., 2016). When it is possible, video calls with physicians are typically more effective in helping to foster relationship building. This is because the nonverbal communication such as eye contact and emotional expressions between a provider and their patient often play a larger role in the exchanges required for relationship building (Toh et al., 2016). Providers who effectively use both verbal and nonverbal methods of therapeutic communication with patients are usually more successful at developing a strong relationship with their patients (Toh et al., 2016). While it can be more difficult to develop relationships in telehealth appointments, it can be done when providers are trained appropriately and practice good communication skills.

Number 2: JO

As telehealth, we understand that it is communication technology to provide quality health care from a distance; the technologies used for this service include computers, cameras, video conferencing, the internet, and satellite and wireless communications. Telehealth will help us revolutionize the way we handle health problems, resulting in the development of quality health services, which will help us accomplish the new challenges that society provides us every day. Hills and Hills (2020).

Telehealth is a tool that allows us as APN´s to provide health services to patients who, for some reason or cause, cannot access the hospital or clinic services. With the recent COVID pandemic, the use of telehealth has grown exponentially. Most primary doctors implemented this service to provide care for their patients and treat their medical conditions.

There must be a good relationship between health care providers and patients. This relationship is created due to the bond of trust between these two individuals over time, thereby achieving better patient care. The result of good communication between provider and patient is that there is better education about the conditions that affect the patient and more readily adhere to the health care plan (Toh & Grzybowski, 2016).

Now, how can telehealth help improve communication between the healthcare provider and patient? Because telehealth has been overgrown in recent years, this part of therapeutic communication has not been fully explored. Telehealth helps to provide health care at a distance. Still, even with these services, many patients are not satisfied with this, according to Gordon et., al. (2020). ¨The physical distance was often a barrier to developing a therapeutic rapport with the provider¨. That is why this technology must be constantly evaluated in order to close this gap in physical distance. Through the use of telehealth, we can provide patient health care and improve communication with this so that trust is generated in the service provided and the telehealth service has better acceptance.