- access to specialist opinion and expertise, assessment, and teaching
- faster access to a second opinion
- reduces isolation of rural physicians
- saves time and reduces errors
- can be used for information sharing/consultation prior to transfer from rural to urban centre for seamless patient care
- can be used for follow-up visits improving continuity of care and patient teaching
- used as initial consultation with specialist to reduce wait times
increased access to a wide range of services and specialists in remote areas - allows for not only verbal but visual cues which enhance the interpersonal relationship
- increased adherence to medication regimens
- may increase time to review patient information and therefore time with patients
- provides new possibilities for continuing education and training for isolated or rural practitioners
Limitations
- initial and ongoing costs for technology applications
- quality of bandwidth may affect assessment and may not be sufficient for some speciality care
- lack of knowledge or comfort level with the technology and orientation time
- may reduce the number of specialist in remote areas
- reduced ability to perform physical assessments reduces "hands on" clinical practice
- dependent upon the skill of the health acre provider to do the physical examination
- employer or employee responsibility for maintaining qualifications
For a complete list of benefits and limitations with references click on the following link:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AWPdIyKwA_pBZGZqYjN2aGJfMWdqaGdxeGc4&hl=en
No comments:
Post a Comment