The Acceleration Behind Telehealth Service [Health & Hygiene] - NEB English Class 9

The Acceleration Behind Telehealth Services All Exercise

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(In this interview, Chun-Kai Chang, the Business Development Manager of Telehealth at Advantech, talks to News-Medical about the acceleration behind telehealth services.)

Reporter: To begin, can you give us a brief introduction to telehealth and what it involves?

Chun-Kai Chang: Telehealth is a method of providing medical care remotely, usually through video chat. Telehealth makes it possible to connect patients and clinicians from any location. It provides access to a wide range of care, including primary care consultations, psychotherapy, physical therapy, and even emergency services.

It allows primary care clinicians and specialists to further their reach for treating patients wherever there is an internet connection.

The benefits of telehealth for healthcare providers and patients is that these services can be faster, safer, more effective, and less expensive in the long run, especially during a time like the COVID-19 pandemic, where telehealth has allowed access to medical care without going to hospitals to protect patients and hospital staff from being exposed to the infection.

Reporter: What are some of the main drivers behind the acceleration and momentum of telehealth services?

Chang: There are two major drivers for this fast-growing market. The first and most recent driver for telehealth has been the global COVID-19 pandemic. Strong social distancing and minimal physical contact precautions have pushed the shift to telehealth and remote consultations as it aids in infection protection.

These precautions and increased hospital bed shortages have forced medical facilities to incorporate more telehealth technologies to keep up with demand and maintain care continuity for patients at home.

The second driver is the shortage of medical professionals when demand is increasing every year due to an aging population and more and more patients with chronic and non-communicable diseases.

For people living in rural areas, their medical demands are underserved due to insufficient resources and long distances to drive into cities for care. Telehealth is one of the promising ways to tackle the challenge of doctor shortages and expand specialists' and doctors' reach to patients.

Reporter: In terms of this acceleration and momentum of telehealth services, we are currently seeing, what are some items we can expect to see in the future?

Chang: Telehealth will not replace face-to-face care services, but we will incorporate it into healthcare facilities' infrastructure. Patients will be selecting providers based on their accessibility to telehealth services.

With more access to doctors, increasing patients using preventative care services and follow-up care due to convenience will start to emerge. These can lead to fewer readmissions and patient complications. We will also see more use for early screening of patient triage in the field before they arrive at hospitals.

Reporter: When it comes to remote patient monitoring for clinicians, what impact does telehealth have on this?

Chang: Remote patient monitoring could be one of the applications of telehealth. Remote patient monitoring usually involves continuously collecting patient's health data through wearable devices, such as vital signs and blood sugars.

The patient's data is then transmitted in real-time, monitored, and reviewed by medical providers. In this way, medical providers could acquire a whole picture of a patient's health condition and give a more precise diagnosis.

Reporter: How has telehealth shaped the way clinicians work with each other?

Chang: Clinician-to-clinician telehealth services have enabled medical professionals to collaborate virtually with specialists in other locations to deliver treatment and care to patients jointly.

This service can range from remote surgical mentoring to Tele-ICU and Tele-ER (like a stroke), in which on-site staff works together with a remote physician/specialist team to assess a patient's condition. Telehealth solutions relieve the pressure of staffing gaps seen in critical departments such as an emergency room and ICU.

Reporter: What would you say are some of the biggest challenges clinicians currently face with telehealth?

Chang: Many hospitals are still facing the lack of infrastructure to implement telehealth successfully, insufficient hardware, and the right technology for each specialty.

Some hospitals struggle with reliable networking infrastructures like broadband, 4G, or Wi-Fi. This could limit the connectivity within facilities and provide remote care to rural areas or mobile clinics.

Having the right technology and tools, and place will be crucial to successful telehealth programs. Even though this new technology is quickly being integrated, there is a learning curve to using telehealth versus traditional healthcare operations.

Users face obstacles such as learning to use different tools, online scheduling for virtual visits, triage procedures, and billing policies. To overcome these challenges, telehealth should be encouraged as a regular service and included in health insurance. There would be more motives for healthcare providers to invest in infrastructures and information system integration and deploy telehealth technology.

Exercise of The Acceleration Behind Telehealth Services

Before you read the interview below, answer these questions.

How do you get advice from a doctor?

What do you know about telehealth services?

A. The meanings of some of the words from the interview are given below. Find the words and fill in the crossword puzzle.

Across

psychological treatment of people using dialogue ⟶ PSYCHOTHERAPY

the process of sorting patients ⟶ TRIAGE

to prepare and arrange to ⟶ DEPLOY

a special department of a hospital for intensive care of patients ⟶ ICU

Down

to include as a part ⟶INCORPORATE

identification of nature and cause of a disease ⟶ DIAGNOSE

not having sufficient service ⟶ UNDERSERVE

epidemic over a wide geographical area ⟶ PANDEMIC

B. Read the interview again and write whether the following statements are True or False.

a. Internet service is necessary to use telehealth services. True

b. While providing telehealth services, health professionals are at high risk of being infected due to exposure to patients.  False

c. Telehealth service can be the best alternative to face-to-face service. False

d. The problem with the lack of medical staff will be solved greatly with telehealth technology. True

e. The success of telehealth programmes depends on the infrastructure and the best use of IT tools. True

C. Answer the following questions.

a. What is telehealth service?

⇒ Telehealth is a method of providing medical care remotely, usually through video chat.

b. What are the advantages of using telehealth programmes?

⇒The advantages of using telehealth programmes are they can be faster, safer, more effective and less expensive.

c. Why, according to Dr. Chang, is the telehealth service growing rapidly?

⇒According to Dr. Chang, the telehealth service is growing rapidly because of global COVID 19 pandemic which forced to keep social distancing and minimal physical contact.

d. How is the telehealth programme important during a pandemic?

⇒ It is important during pandemic, where telehealth has allowed access to medical care without going to hospitals to protect patients and hospital staff from being exposed to the infection.

e. Why are the patients in remote areas not getting adequate health services?

⇒ The patients in remote areas are not getting adequate health services because of the lack of monitoring.

f. Mention the top three challenges of telehealth services.

⇒ The top three challenges of telehealth services are lack of infrastructure, insufficient hardware and the right technology for each specialty.

Grammar I

A. Study what the people in the picture are saying.

Choose the correct answer.

I need help, doctor. My baby doesn't sleep well. What ............. ?

i. had I better do            ii. should I do            iii. I should do

The aeroplane only allows two pieces of luggage. You ............... pack too much or you will have to take it out at the airport!

i. had better not          ii. better not           iii. had not better

A: I think that the grade my teacher gave me on my test is wrong.

B: Really? You .................... to her after class today.

should to talk              ii. ought to talk     iii. ought talk

It's raining and I don't want to get my dress wet. I..............an umbrella.

had better not take       ii. had better to take

iii. had better take

Dinesh loves chocolate, but he ....................too much or he will put on weight.

shouldn't eat            ii. should eat not   iii. should eat

My mother isn't feeling well, so I told her that she ............. to the doctor.

ought go           ii. ought to go               iii. ought

A: It's so hot.

B: You ...............your jacket!

i. should take off     ii. should put on      iii. should to take off

I'm going to visit your country. Where ............. if I want to go shopping?

should I go  ii. I should go              iii. ought to I go