Telehealth- Short Course

Sneak Peek

Telehealth - An Alternative to Face-to-Face Health Consultation

This course is suitable for anyone working in, or training to work in the health industry, at any level; from practitioners to support staff and medical suppliers.

• Components of telehealth can include:
• Telecare – remote care for less able people or vulnerable people e.g. elderly, disabled, learning disabilities, etc. It is aimed at helping to keep these people living in their homes and to maintain independent living. It can include the use of pull cords in sheltered housing/care homes, 24/7 alarm services, etc. It also includes services such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, increased or decreased temperature, passive infrared, movement sensors, enuresis sensors, epilepsy sensors, medication reminders, etc.
• Telehealth for people with chronic conditions – enabling individuals with long-term conditions to self-manage e.g. blood pressure, blood glucose monitors, people with COPD, diabetes, heart disease, etc.
• mHealth – services accessed by mobile phone or computer apps. This is aimed at younger people or those with increased flexibility.  It can be used for people with dementia e.g. GPS walking services.
• Assistive technologies (environmental controls) – services that allow people to carry out daily activities such as opening curtains, turning on lights or TV, using computers, etc. These are aimed at people with severe disabilities to enable them to function more independently. 
• Telemedicine – a branch of telehealth concerned with the use of different types of technology and telecommunications to enable doctors to support patients, provide remote care, and share information with other professionals typically by video call. It may be used for diagnoses, prescriptions, discussing x-rays, and so forth. It is often used in acute health services. Unlike telehealth it does not include training, teaching or meetings with non-healthcare personnel.  
• Telenursing – enables nursing staff to provide remote services, etc. 

COURSE CONTENT

LESSON 1 SCOPE AND NATURE OF TELEHEALTH SERVICING
Lesson Aim and Introduction
Telesurgery
Virtual reality
Remote education
Advantages and disadvantages of telehealth
Advantages
Disadvantages
Self Assessment Tests

LESSON 2 TELEHEALTH IN A CLINICAL SETTING
Lesson Aim and Introduction
Are telehealth consultations suitable for your practice?
Length of telehealth consultations
Reimbursement for telehealth services
Insurance for telehealth services
Issues for cross-jurisdiction
Different types of practitioners
Medical doctors
Physiotherapists
Optometrists
Podiatrist
Psychologists & counsellors
Naturopaths
Self Assessment Tests

LESSON 3 MANAGEMENT OF TELEHEALTH SERVICES
Lesson Aim and Introduction
Record keeping
Security and storage of information
Privacy and confidentiality
Ethical issues
Informed consent
Working with vulnerable people and children
Financial management
Marketing
Quality management
Risk management for clients or patients
Self Assessment Tests

LESSON 4 USING TECHNOLOGY FOR TELEHEALTH
Lesson Aim and Introduction
Other uses of technology
Equipment, systems and software
Equipment
Choosing systems to use
Booking & payment systems
Online consultations & bookings
Payment systems
Problems
Review what you have been learning

LESSON 5 CONDUCTING AN ONLINE CONSULTATION
Lesson Aim and Introduction
Before the consultation
Deciding on allocation of telehealth services
Preparing for a consultation
Room & equipment preparation
Room requirements
Décor
Lighting
Camera
Microphones
Internet
Bandwidth reliability
Getting started
Presence of others
During a telehealth consultation
Video conferencing etiquette
After the telehealth consultation
Self Assessment Tests

LESSON 6 PATIENT DATA & TELEHEALTH
Lesson Aim and Introduction
Video call data
Gathering data from physical examinations
Performing physical examinations
Limitations of video call examinations
Record keeping & other data
Storing medical records & health data
Sharing data between healthcare professionals
Self Assessment Tests

LESSON 7 COMPLEMENTARY PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES
Lesson Aim and Introduction
Multidisciplinary or health team
Teamwork & technology
Other services
Nurturing relationships with allied services
Challenges and future directions for telehealth
Review what you have been learning
Final assessment