Telehealth Practice for ALL Patients
Instructions
It is anticipated that the initial discussion post should be in the range of 250-300 words. Response posts to peers have no minimum word requirement but must demonstrate topic knowledge and scholarly engagement with peers. Substantive content is imperative for all posts(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients). All discussion prompt elements for the topic must be addressed. Please proofread your response carefully for grammar and spelling. Do not upload any attachments unless specified in the instructions. All posts should be supported by a minimum of one scholarly resource, ideally within the last 5 years. Journals and websites must be cited appropriately. Citations and references must adhere to APA format.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
Classroom Participation
Students are expected to address the initial discussion question by Wednesday of each week. Participation in the discussion forum requires a minimum of three (3) substantive postings (this includes your initial post and posting to two peers) on three (3) different days. Substantive means that you add something new to the discussion supported with citation(s) and reference(s), you are not just agreeing. This is also a time to ask questions or offer information surrounding the topic addressed by your peers. Personal experience is appropriate for a substantive discussion, however, should be correlated to the literature.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
All discussion boards will be evaluated utilizing rubric criteria inclusive of content, analysis, collaboration, writing, and APA. If you fail to post an initial discussion or the initial discussion is late, you will not receive points for content and analysis, you may however post to your peers for partial credit following the guidelines above.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
Discussion Prompt [Due Wednesday]
- What are your thoughts (supported by evidence) for the exclusive use of telehealth in psychiatric mental health care or for a balance between in-person and telehealth visits for all patients?
- What have your experiences been in clinicals throughout your PMHNP program been in preparing you for the use of telehealth platforms?(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
- What is your intention of telehealth use once in active clinical practice as a PMHNP and why?
Responses need to address all components of the question, demonstrate critical thinking and analysis, and include peer-reviewed journal evidence to support the student’s position.
Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with in-text citations and corresponding references in APA format.
Please review the rubric to ensure that your response meets the criteria.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
Estimated time to complete: 2 hours
Discussion Peer/Participation Prompt [Due Sunday]
Please respond to at least 2 of your peer’s posts with substantive comments using the following steps:
- Substantive comments add to the discussion and provide your fellow students with information that will enhance the learning environment.
- References and citations should conform to APA standards.
- Remember: Please respect the opinions of others, even if their views differ. In other words, disagree professionally and respectfully.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
- Plagiarism is never acceptable – give credit when credit is due – cite your sources.
Responses need to address all components of the question, demonstrate critical thinking and analysis, and include peer-reviewed journal evidence to support the student’s position.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with in-text citations and corresponding references in APA format.
Please review the rubric to ensure that your response meets the criteria. Collaboration points will be forfeited if you fail to meet the response post guidelines.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
Estimated time to complete: 1 hour
Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients
Currently, it is impractical to move mental health services online entirely. Some services can be virtualized, but some require in-person patient visits to enhance patient outcomes. Mental health approaches, particularly psychotherapy, are more effective with in-person visits (Molfenter et al., 2021). However, mental health practitioners can conveniently schedule virtual sessions with patients as a follow-up or monitor patient progress. To balance telehealth and in-person visits, mental health practitioners need to understand a patient’s needs and decide what services can be offered more effectively and conveniently using telehealth. Virtualizing services should be strategic to ensure optimal patient outcomes. According to Molfenter et al. (2021), telehealth services should also consider the patient’s and the organization’s or practitioner’s capability because of the various challenges associated with telehealth, particularly internet accessibility in remote and economically disadvantaged areas.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
The clinical setting offers opportunities to interact with telehealth technologies, including videoconferencing, remote patient home monitoring, and skills to collect and deliver data using cameras. These skills are critical in optimizing my role in telehealth delivery. Most patient encounters during the PMHNP program have been in-person. However, I have used platforms like patient portals and videoconferences to engage with patients. Most patients post messages and health information updates on patient portals, and I reply to them based on their needs. Video conferences with patients and patient families are typical. Video conferences are used to follow up on patients, arrange short sessions with patients to discuss progress, and engage in question-and-answer sessions to learn more about the patient and their mental health conditions.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
Telehealth is increasingly becoming integral in daily mental health practice, especially in providing care for behavioral conditions. I have embraced telehealth, and in the future, I plan to increase mental health care accessibility and availability in marginalized areas and populations using telehealth. I have experienced multiple incidences where patients have failed to attend sessions or in-person visits because of work, distance, or family. Telehealth is a convenient approach to healthcare delivery, and sessions can be arranged at the patient’s convenience, reducing unnecessary in-person patient visits (Rutledge & Gustin, 2021). I would strive to increase the efficacy of telehealth delivery to ensure outcomes are similar to in-person therapy sessions.(Comprehensive Essay on Telehealth Practice for All Patients)
References
Molfenter, T., Heitkamp, T., Murphy, A. A., Tapscott, S., Behlman, S., & Cody, O. J. (2021). Use of Telehealth in Mental Health (MH) Services During and After COVID-19. Community mental health journal, 57(7), 1244–1251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00861-2
Rutledge, C. M., & Gustin, T. (2021). Preparing nurses for roles in telehealth: Now is the time. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 26(1).