Clinical Triaging Considerations for Telehealth: Difference between revisions
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Telerehabilitation brings with it the boon of being able to access rehabilitation services without stepping outside the house, however, the question always arises as to what patients need it the most. This page summarizes the clinical triaging principles and answers some important questions of who needs immediate access to telehealth OR what patients should a therapist see-through telehealth. | |||
The American Telemedicine Association states that a Therapist can see patients via telehealth on a | |||
* Case to case basis | |||
* Using clinical judgment | |||
* Making an informed decision based on the Professional Standards of Health<ref>Brennan D, Tindall L, Theodoros D, Brown J, Campbell M, Christiana D, Smith D, Cason J, Lee A. A blueprint for telerehabilitation guidelines. Int J Telerehabil. 2010;2(2):31.</ref> | |||
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== Triaging == | == Triaging == | ||
Revision as of 10:55, 23 April 2020
Telerehabilitation brings with it the boon of being able to access rehabilitation services without stepping outside the house, however, the question always arises as to what patients need it the most. This page summarizes the clinical triaging principles and answers some important questions of who needs immediate access to telehealth OR what patients should a therapist see-through telehealth.
The American Telemedicine Association states that a Therapist can see patients via telehealth on a
- Case to case basis
- Using clinical judgment
- Making an informed decision based on the Professional Standards of Health[1]
Triaging[edit | edit source]
If the patient has access to the available technologies then the following triaging should be considered to determine appropriateness.
● The patient’s clinical condition or presentation/ diagnosis[edit | edit source]
● The severity of the condition, pain, neurological deficits, or severe shortness of breath, how would this impact your decision
● Potential or actual red flags.
● The urgency to access care. Post-operative condition vs non-specific chronic low back pain.
● Age of patient
● Presence of other comorbidities or psychological factors
● Mobility of the patient, physical risk
● Language barriers
● Cognition - ability to provide consent and follow instructions
● What time point of patient care, assessment, review, treatment. Hybrid model is available, depending on the condition and the patient.
● Patient’s physical location. Their house, friend, GP practice. Geographical location and influence of internet connection barriers.
● Who is present during the consult. Advantage: assistance with tests, or supervision. Disadvantage: privacy and confidentiality. Privacy of the patient if you need to visualise areas of the patient’s body. Is it appropriate to ask about certain conditions with someone in the room.
● Therapist skill to translate it to telehealth.
● Ability to modify tests, ruling out red flags, do you need a local healthcare professional with the patient.
● Scope of practice and registration within your state or country
- Reimbursement for telehealth from the patient’s medical insurance or government insurance like medicare.
- ↑ Brennan D, Tindall L, Theodoros D, Brown J, Campbell M, Christiana D, Smith D, Cason J, Lee A. A blueprint for telerehabilitation guidelines. Int J Telerehabil. 2010;2(2):31.
