Starting The Research Process Discussion Paper
What are the benefits and risks of delivering mental health care through telemedicine instead of face-to-face and what impact does the removal of face-to-face human interaction have? This is an issue of concern to me especially in the face of Covid-19 era and the subsequent restrictions on public life. Since the first case of Covid-19 was report, there have been millions of cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the world. The majority of these cases, hospitalizations and deaths occurs in high-income countries (Bergquist, Otten & Sarich, 2020)Starting The Research Process Discussion Paper.
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Following these figures, physical distancing control measures were recommended and implemented as a public health measure targeted at curtailing the virus transmission. While many of these physical distancing control measures have since been eased following pressures from other avenues, such as financial pressure to work, the health care industry is very caution in how it proceeds. Towards this end, the health care industry has been keen on continuing to adopt physical distancing as an effective measure for curtailing the spread of the virus, especially within the care environment that has vulnerable patients (Haffajee & Mello, 2020)Starting The Research Process Discussion Paper.
An unintended negative consequence of the physical distancing and isolation control measures is that patients find it difficult to access health care services. In fact, the provision and accessibility of health care services remains a challenge in Covid-19 era. Accessibility of health care services refers to the ease with which members of the population can obtain the needed health care services. It presents the opportunity to use the appropriate services in proportion to the needs. The control measures limit accessibility to the needed health care services, thereby acting as a barrier to the use of the services and affecting the health of the population. In essence, the control measures have reduced access to and utilization of health care services (Núñez, Sreeganga & Ramaprasad, 2021)Starting The Research Process Discussion Paper.
Given the awareness that Covid-19 are presents a concern and that the physical distancing and isolation control measures would continue in the era, at least in health facilities, then the proposal has been advanced to leverage telemedicine to facilitate contact between patients and medical personnel. Telemedicine presents a significant concern as it is a relatively new and unexplored concept that presents unique benefits and risks when compared to face-to-face human interactions. It is presented as a rapidly evolving segment that can provide cost-effective, efficient and increased access to health care services, especially in the Covid-19 era. It allows a patient to interact with a medical personnel in real time at a distant site. It makes use of information and telecommunications technologies to provide access to health assessment, diagnosis, consultation, information, supervision and intervention across distance. Telemedicine has real potential to overcome the care access limitations brought about by physical distancing and isolation control measures (Kichloo et al., 2020)Starting The Research Process Discussion Paper.
However, this potential can only be realized if the benefits of telemedicine are leveraged and risks minimized, a prospect only if all the benefits and risks of using telemedicine can be comprehensively identified. Towards this end, the research problem statement is presented that: What are the benefits and risks of delivering mental health care through telemedicine instead of face-to-face and what impact does the removal of face-to-face human interaction have?
References
Bergquist, S., Otten, T., & Sarich, N. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Health Policy Technol., 9(4), 623-638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlpt.2020.08.007
Haffajee, R. L., & Mello, M. M. (2020). Thinking Globally, Acting Locally — The U.S. Response to Covid-19. The New England Journal of Medicine, 382, e75. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2006740
Kichloo, A., Albosta, M., Dettloff, K., Wani, F., El-Amir, Z., Singh, J., … & Chugh, S. (2020). Telemedicine, the current COVID-19 pandemic and the future: a narrative review and perspectives moving forward in the USA. Fam Med Community Health, 8(3), e000530. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2020-000530
Núñez, A., Sreeganga, S. D., & Ramaprasad, A. (2021). Access to Healthcare during COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 2980. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062980
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For this Discussion, you will develop your own research problem statement on a topic of interest to you. Reflect on your personal and academic experiences to consider which research problem you might address. Review the Learning Resources regarding research problem statements and consider how you might formulate a research problem statement. Reflect on your personal, professional, and academic experiences to identify a topic of interest to focus on for developing a research problem statement Consider what study variables and hypothesis would support your research problem statement. Consider any ethical considerations that you should keep in mind in relation to your research problem statement. Consider how the selected research problem might contribute to positive nurse practice changes. Review the Learning Resources regarding research problem statements and consider how you might formulate a research problem statement. Reflect on your personal, professional, and academic experiences to identify a topic of interest to focus on for developing a research problem statement Use This or rephrase it “What are the benefits and risks of delivering mental health care through technology instead of face-to-face and what impact does the removal of face-to-face human interaction have?” Starting The Research Process Discussion Paper