The digital age has presented numerous benefits for a variety of economic sectors with the health industry among the biggest winners. From faster communication between patients and health professionals to better service delivery, health organizations have seen improvements in a variety of daily operations. Sadly, the digital age is a double-edged sword, and as more health organizations use the latest technology, there is the looming threat of poor data security.
The Arizona Telemedicine Program Blog, Category: mHealth
The University of Arizona is accepting applications for a Rural Telehealth Certificate Program. Telehealth has a role in just about all healthcare delivery systems, and nurses are frequently involved as telepresenters or healthcare providers. In response to the need for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to experience and understand telehealth as a method of healthcare delivery, the Rural Telehealth Certificate Program (RTCP) has been approved and piloted at the UA College of Nursing. December 2019 will mark the graduation of the first cohort of the RTCP, which was composed of four Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) students. Because of the sucess of the pilot program, the College of Nursing has realized the demand for telehealth education at all levels of nursing education. Starting in January 2020, the RTCP will be offered to all nurses.
You can put the word "smart" in front of just about anything these days — including an entire city. But what does it actually mean?
The concept of smart cities is incredibly exciting. Cities have always been social, cultural and productive centers of society. But the city of the future will help us work and play even smarter, commute more quickly, and make use of more advanced and affordable products and public services. That includes health care.
As the world explores what smart cities are capable of, we're seeing more ways they'll impact the telemedicine industry and vice versa. Let's take a closer look.
With rates of drug and alcohol addiction at record highs in this country, many people never get the substance abuse treatment they need. Telebehavioral counseling can help close this gap, as a helpful support for people who may need ongoing maintenance therapy during recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD), and as a way to triage and refer clients with more serious addictions to the right rehab provider. But discerning when to refer a client to rehab can be difficult, especially within a telehealth context.
I must get at least one request a week to fill out some sort of survey – on everything from how do I like the university’s new travel system to how would I rate the tech support I got when trying to fix a bug on my computer. I’m sure you do too, and, like you, I pretty much ignore at least half of them. Okay, maybe 75% of them. But I do fill out some surveys – those where I think my opinion or feedback is going to make a difference.
Well, here’s your chance to make a difference! The Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center are gathering information to educate key healthcare stakeholders about telemedicine and telehealth use and needs in our state. We have created a brief survey on organizations’ telehealth use, providers, benefits, and barriers. We are hoping to compile a complete picture of how and why organizations are using – and not using - telehealth. We’ve already done a pilot with sites in Northern Arizona and have gathered some very interesting data. But as we all know, the more data the better!