The COVID-19 pandemic has caused multiple effects on all spheres of human society. However, the healthcare sector became the first to respond to a new threat and struggle with it. For this reason, the question of quality improvement became especially topical in this field. By enhancing the existing methods of care delivery and implementing new tools, care providers acquire the chance to save more patients or guarantee the appropriate treatment. Thus, telehealth is viewed as one of the modern ways to remain in touch with patients, monitor their status, and help them in complex situations. The article Improving quality and safety of telehealth by David Baker also discusses the central factors linked to this tool.
One of the main ideas offered by the article is that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven the critical importance of telehealth. Regarding severe restrictions and the lack of specialists, the method suggested an effective way for patients to receive care and struggle with the disease (Baker, 2021). Although telehealth is not a new approach, it acquired a new stimulus for development due to the challenges introduced by the pandemic. For this reason, numerous hospitals focused on promoting further use of the technology and its employment to reach patients who have limited access to care (Baker, 2021). However, the growing popularity of this method also introduces the necessity for monitoring and quality improvement incentives to avoid mistakes or undesired outcomes.
The article shows that specialists and managers focus on creating the basis for attaining improved functioning of telehealth. Under these conditions, the quality improvement incentives demand answering the following questions:
- Can telehealth help to overcome access barriers?
- How can the delivery of telehealth be improved?
- What are the perspectives of telehealth? (Baker, 2021)
These questions help to guide the future research of the problem and concentrate on introducing appropriate education of specialists who work with patients using this method. At the same time, the article helps to understand that telehealth will remain one of the preferred approaches in the future because of the numerous advantages associated with its use. For this reason, it is critical to align the continuous quality improvement process.
Analyzing the article, several critical ideas should be mentioned. First, innovative methods of care delivery can help specialists to work more effectively and deliver care to the most problematic areas. This advantage is vital regarding existing restrictions associated with the pandemic. Second, because telehealth implies using technologies, care providers should possess enhanced knowledge in this sphere to remain capable of delivering care. Finally, quality improvement remains a critical part of the modern healthcare sector, and it is vital for attaining desired goals and protecting patients. At the same time, it is a continuous process demanding preliminary research, detailed analysis, and planning to avoid failures and promote positive change.
Altogether, the article from the Joint Commission website devoted to telehealth proves the critical importance of this method in the modern world. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced multiple challenges, and this approach helped to resolve some of them by providing health workers with the chance to treat and assist patients. For this reason, it is vital to create the basis for its further growth by initiating the quality improvement process, involving all specialists who can work with clients by using available devices. It will guarantee better results and increased accessibility of care.
Reference
Baker, D. (2021). Improving quality and safety of telehealth. The Joint Commission. Web.