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Introduction
Health and health care delivery at countryside level is quite different from that of its urban counterparts. The rural areas are faced with unique challenges and health systems there tend to differ from how they work, to the value of health delivered to the expected population. The dynamics for disparities in both demographical and geographical points of view is attributed to the different shaping of health and health care systems in rural and urban areas respectively. On average, life expectancy in the rural areas tends to be less than of those living in urban areas. The statistics are highly influenced by several social factors, which range from low levels of qualified medical professionals to poverty and other social conditions.
Access to quality health among the rural populations is key to the large gap existing between rural and urban health care systems. Those living in the countryside have to deal with the issue of transportation to more developed health care facilities in urban areas to get quality health services. This challenge can explain why the life expectancy of countryside dwellers falls short of their urban counterparts. Within the period of transportation of the patient over long journeys can leave their health in much bad condition. The time taken to get to a quality health facility for rural populations can be critical in determining survival chances of the patient (Field, 1996).
Statement analysis
Today rural health care systems continue to face similar challenges there have been dealing with for centuries. It would be safe to state that rural health care is not in a challenge with its urban counterparts, chiefly owing to the many social and geographical aspects forming the huge gaps. However, to see similar standards of care and health care management experienced and practiced at the countryside level, there is the undeniable need to incorporate technology as a link between the urban and rural health services. This relationship building concept is referred as `Telemedicine’.
Telemedicine can be used to address the challenges faces health care access in the rural areas. This technologically based medicinal breakthrough which tends to utilize the globalizing concept of the internet to deliver medical services in remote regions. Telecommunication and the widespread information sharing platforms have for long been tipped to shape the future of health delivery. Telemedicine ought to be integrated fully with the health care system for the purpose of increasing accessibility through knowledge sharing, education, administrative and consultative aspects. Embracing the concept would ensure that rural health care facilities are not exposed to uncertainties, dependency and low standards of care compared to urban health facilities.
A closer look at the telemedicine concept indicates huge impact and influence the system will have to the rural health care service delivery framework. The benefits of the new approach in medical treatment and administration override the aspect of access, but also takes over the health care system like a wave. However, the success level will definitely depend on the type of the adopted HIT solution to a particular rural setting.
Scope of the adopted HIT solution
Health information technology provides the ultimate solution to the perennial issue of health care access and integration in both urban and rural areas. The scope of the HIT adopted should not be limited to any parameters within the health care charter, as the procedures and policies together with clinical priorities in HIT are put into consideration before embarking on a particular technological implementation process (Gupta & Denton, 2008).
Improvement opportunities
The type of HIT solution employed should seek to address several improvement opportunities within the health care system. These improvements may include; cost savings, quality, process workflows, and higher revenue levels for the health facilities. The health informatics derived from a particularly rural area should define the type of HIT to be implemented. Therefore, telemedicine concept should incorporate all the derived aspects within the informatics formulated. The charter relied upon before implementing telemedicine should address the business, research, and the strategic aspects.
It would be shrewd for the committee task with making analysis for the HIT solution based medicine for the rural health care to make considerations on the value of the adopted telemedicine pack. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides funding to support a telemedicine infrastructure for rural areas, therefore, it would be prudent for the responsible management to have a full scope of what the health care system in the respectively rural areas would work best when implemented. Analysis on the demographics and geographical parameters.
Stakeholder analysis
Stakeholder’s analysis in the rural health care system would be the limits in considerations before settling upon a certain HIT solution for the health care. The stakeholders in the health care system range from the actual population in the rural setting, to the relevant health care management. The chief stakeholder in the health care sector remains the patient but the entire health care fraternity should be considered when implementing a certain communication technology in a health facility.
Issues touching on every stakeholder should be addressed by the new telemedicine system implemented.
All issues at each department of the health care should be covered through the new communication technology employed. Telemedicine incorporation should be supplied by reputable communication technology providers to ensure efficiency and effectiveness prevail the several challenges encompassing the health care system. The business should be cost effective, plus having integration properties to all the health care functionalities. This type of communication should on board urban and well-equipped facilities together with rural and less professionally equipped facilities in a bid to see improvement relationships between different levels of health care (Torrance, et al., 1972).
Risk analysis
Although telemedicine is very much relevant and helpful to the current rural health care setting, there lack no risks associated with the new approach. Analyzing the risks which come along with telemedicine leaves some certain conditions as prevalent and intriguing to the implementation of the new technology-based system (Goldschmidt, 2005).
Patient information safety
Since technology shares information on a large scale array, there are possibilities of patient information ending at the wrong hands or the security of the information shared remaining unsecured. This can cause legal concerns in the sense of disclosures and be letting loose privacy of the patient. However, HIT providers have the responsibility of ensuring the system remains competence in upholding patient information safety.
Status quo
Not every stakeholder within the healthcare sector has embraced technology as an efficient way of solving health crisis. With the lack of technology inception to the career of many medical professions, there is a huge risk of misuse or lack of technical-know-0how on adopting telemedicine. There is undeniable need to offer adequate training to all relevant stakeholder to ensure the effectiveness of the telemedicine technology. There is a financial concern brought about by the new technology.
The logistics involved in transporting patients from rural to urban health care facilities would be cut down. These leaves several interest groups unhappy that their source of revenue is diminishing. However, they should unanimously embrace the new technology, which with no doubts will plow huge benefits to the stakeholders in the health care system, especially patient’s access to quality care, and high standards of management within the hospital as an organization (Anderson, 2006).
If the selected HIT solution, telemedicine, is effectively implemented, there is no denial that the overall health care within the rural setting will advance. When the talk of access and tools will no longer be an issue of discussion, our medical structure would change and take the desired outlook initially only thought of. Keeping health informatics in the best way should help carry out reliable analyses, subsequently enabling the right HIT solution to be rolled out. Telemedicine will outlive expectation and enable harmonization of quality and management styles to all connected health care facilities.
References
Anderson, G. F., Frowner, B. K., Johns, R. A., & Reinhardt, U. E. (2006). Health care spending and use of information technology in OECD countries. Health Affairs, 25(3), 819-831.
Field, M. J. (Ed.). (1996). Telemedicine: A guide to assessing telecommunications for health care. National Academies Press.
Goldschmidt, P. G. (2005). HIT and MIS: implications of health information technology and medical information systems. Communications of the ACM, 48(10), 68-74.
Gupta, D., & Denton, B. (2008). Appointment scheduling in health care: Challenges and opportunities. IIE transactions, 40(9), 800-819.
Torrance, G. W., Thomas, W. H., & Sackets, D. L. (1972). A utility maximization model for evaluation of health care programs. Health services research, 7(2), and 118.