Evolving telemedicine/ehealth technology

Telemedicine security: a systematic review

Telemedicine is a technology-based alternative to traditional health care delivery. However, poor security measures in telemedicine services can have an adverse impact on the quality of care provided, regardless of the chronic condition being studied. We undertook a systematic review of 58 journal articles pertaining to telemedicine security. These articles were selected based on a keyword search on 14 relevant journals. The articles were coded to evaluate the methodology and to identify the key areas of research in security that are being reviewed. Seventy-six percent of the articles defined the security problem they were addressing, and only 47% formulated a research question pertaining to security. Sixty-one percent proposed a solution, and 20% of these tested the security solutions that they proposed. Prior research indicates inadequate reporting of methodology in telemedicine research. We found that to be true for security research as well. We also identified other issues such as using outdated security standards.

Telehealth as a Tool for Enhancing Care for Patients With Cardiovascular Disease

Telehealth refers to the use of telecommunication technology to remove time and distance barriers in the delivery of healthcare services. Telehealth can help nurses provide education and counseling, social support, disease monitoring, and disease management reminders to cardiovascular patients in their homes. As a result, patients gain more flexibility in scheduling healthcare visits, have easier and more convenient access to healthcare, may have fewer time-demanding clinic visits, receive care in a location that does not require the burden of transportation, and in an environment that is less threatening than a clinic or emergency department. Cardiovascular healthcare may be enhanced through diverse telehealth applications, including sensor technology and wearable monitoring systems, Internet-based peripheral monitoring devices, videophones, interactive voice response systems, and nanotechnology. Although telehealth enhances care, legal, human, and environmental factors need to be considered before implementing a telehealth program. Additionally, more evidence that is obtained through large multicenter controlled trials about the potential benefits and cost effectiveness of telecardiovascular health is needed.

Solving the disjuncture between research and practice: telehealth trends in the 21st century

Despite the great promise that telehealth holds for improving cost, quality and access, there is currently a disjunction between what we know about telehealth and system growth and performance. To better understand the relationship between these two facets of telehealth development, this paper examines trends in telehealth, both as an intellectual endeavor and as a practical means of providing health services. Although there are promising avenues for government intervention in the way of coordination, funding, and regulatory practice, lack of knowledge regarding what works and what does not work has served as a major impediment to further progress in this area. In the absence of solid empirical evidence, key decision makers entertain doubts about telehealth's effectiveness, which, in turn, limits public leadership, private investment, and the long-term integration of telehealth into the health and technological mainstream. Solving the disjuncture between research and practice will require additional clinical trials and evaluation studies that examine the efficacy of various technologies, both relative to each other and to conventional in person medical encounters. At the same time, it will require more even distribution of research across applications, service locations, regions, and nations. But the generation of additional high-quality empirical data on process, benefits, costs, and effects is only the beginning. That data must in turn be used to effectuate change. This will require researchers to take a more proactive stance in promoting use of their findings, both instrumentally, to adjust, modify or improve particular programs or policies, and conceptually, to influence how key stakeholders think about telehealth more generally.