Learning Objectives
This blog post presents an overview of both the benefits and potential drawbacks of telehealth, providing a foundational understanding of its components. By engaging with this content, you will have an opportunity to explore the following elements. Telehealth can:
- Enhance your access to virtual resources, including virtual consultations, informative blog posts, and references to relevant literature.
- Utilise technology to optimise health, thereby reducing travel and accommodation costs, as well as minimising the time and expenses associated with in-person visits and follow-ups.
- Explore some of the challenges related to telehealth, particularly concerning privacy issues, and reasonable measures that can be implemented to manage data and information in a digital context.
Topics Covered
This posting explores various contexts in which Telehealth is utilized, encompassing the following topics:
- Telehealth and five straightforward steps to a healthy lifestyle;
- Enhancing a healthy lifestyle;
- Exploring inspiring destinations;
- Identifying some benefits of telehealth;
- Examining certain disadvantages of telehealth;
- Human Rights: privacy, data erasure, and expressions, and
- Promoting healthy connections; and,
-
How to contact us.
Telehealth is defined in multiple ways, encompassing psychological, sociological, educational, and ecological dimensions. This model utilizes various forms of communication, including audio, chat, media, video, and telephone. Consequently, people can initiate telehealth sessions from remote locations, such as lake country or secluded highlands, provided they have access to the necessary technology.
Upon reaching out to us, you typically engage in a preliminary email consultation or phone call aimed at improving your overall wellness. For example, media could be applied in telehealth to engender an emotionally safe place, helping you to become calm in the face of adversity. Eventually, telehealth may support you to live a healthy and productive life.
Telehealth and Five Simple Steps in a Healthy Life
Telehealth can be a computer-facilitated method to enhance peoples’ abilities, expertise, and assets to transform challenges in life. You may augment this approach by remembering to:
- Laugh often;
- Take time for rest and recreation, enhancing your energy and libido;
- Set aside time for regular exercise, and reduce pain;
- Experience the joy of movement to improve muscular-skeletal and cardio health, and
- Take slow, deliberate breaths, let go of the stress and take time to be in nature.
Optimising A Healthy Lifestyle
Living a healthy lifestyle is widely desired. By doing so, you can minimise the chances of developing heart problems, diabetes, stroke, and various other health conditions. Moreover, getting plenty of fresh air, sleep, exercise, and balanced eating can improve your health. Limiting stress from negatively impacting your life is imperative for long-term health.
Telehealth and Visiting Inspiring Destinations
You can either by being physically present or accessing the internet, witness awe-inspiring destinations across the globe. These destinations include extraordinary parks like Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, and Mount Revelstoke (depicted on this page).
Eventually, if you do not take time out to relax, chronic distress takes a toll. For example, heightened stress contributes to deteriorating health, including increased muscle pain, headaches, and high blood pressure. Your restorative efforts can go a long way in helping you achieve your goals. At times, you can enhance your efforts by seeking support from loved ones, friends, and other people.
The Advent of Telehealth
Telehealth is a popular approach and you can access help from your home or another environment of your choice or necessity (Society for Human Resource Development, 2020; Theobald & Brazelton, 2020). Principles of telehealth are applied, for instance, in electronic text messages, email, phone, and video conferencing. Telehealth serves as a valuable tool for connecting with you, particularly if you are facing challenges in your daily life. While it offers numerous advantages, telehealth also has certain limitations, such as ensuring privacy and the ability to request the deletion of your information and data.
To offer you services counsellors may combine digital data, information, and communication technologies to disseminate health and support information over distances (Kraetschemer, et al., 2009; Lee & Harada, 2012). These technologies could include video and audio that is extended over limited or vast territories and at different times. Technologies provide both synchronous and asynchronous services, however, some people struggle to use computers.
What are Some Telehealth Benefits?
If you live in residential care facilities, telehealth may be the exclusive means of communication available, allowing for video calls, audio-only conversations, and video interactions. Swinburne University of Technology (2024) has designed a program to support seniors, including in residential facilities to access telehealth services. This health model is offered to assist seniors (Manos, 2019).
Explore information regarding The Aging Process.
Telehealth can help people who identify as being from sexual minorities (Atkinson, 2024). All human life including from the cradle to the grave is important and dignity needs to be respected and valued. Telehealth is a means to assist people to rewrite their life scripts, and to meaningfully engage with others. It provides a creative space for healing interpersonal conversations.
What are Certain Telehealth Disadvantages?
Telehealth’s limitation includes a lack of face-to-face communication. People experiencing suicidal ideation should contact crisis services. You may struggle with being able to afford technology and could benefit from assistance in traversing the digital divide (Galvin, et al., Kraetschemer, et al., 2009; Theobold & Brazelton, 2020). To read about the divide see ONM and ODR – From Conflict to Management.
The phenomenon of the digital divide may manifest when individuals encounter restricted access to technology and possess insufficient technological skills (Galvin et al., 2024). Telehealth services are also susceptible to biases and monopolistic practices that reduce the options available for service delivery.
Human Rights: Privacy, Data Erasure, and Expressions
Telehealth: The General Data Protection (GDPR) Regulation 15.
The right to privacy, including the right to have your data erased is essential. Europeans are safeguarded under The General Data Protection (GDPR) Regulation 15. Article 17 of the GDPR stated,
“The data subject shall have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning him or her without undue delay and the controller shall have the obligation to erase personal data without undue delay”.
Who is a Data Controller?
A Data Controller can be defined as an individual or entity that oversees the management of information and data, which encompasses the processing of requests for data deletion (Dockeray & Westbrook, 2018). The Controller is a person, organisation, or entity that is frequently obligated by the purposes underlying the exchange of information and data. This role is essential for ensuring the secure and responsible handling of data, while also preventing its use for purposes that deviate from the original intent of its collection, including any public disclosures. Certain exceptions exist regarding data protection; for instance, if you wish to maintain your connection to an organisation, there is a cogent reason for retaining the data.
The data controller’s duties involve safeguarding information and data through thorough documentation and risk management, while also taking into account the business value of the material, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, access protocols, security measures, and the protection of personal information (Public Service Commission, 2020).
Telehealth: Exploring the Boundaries of Your Rights
Regardless of whether you fall under the protections of Regulation 15, it is possible to explore the boundaries of your right to be forgotten (Proton, 2024a-b; Berzin, 2016). In the United States, both state and federal courts have recognised a formal right to be forgotten (Gajda, 2018). You could submit a request to the controlling person or organisation and keep a record of this action.
Furthermore, there may also be a lack of reflective ability required to understand the consequences of neglecting fundamental rights, including privacy. Unfortunately, numerous organisations may gather and sell your personal information, frequently without your consent, and may establish connections that are either nonexistent or outdated. You possess a theoretical right to privacy, alongside a right to freedom of expression. Privacy constitutes a fundamental civil liberty, and it is often discussed in the context of Human Rights.
The Competition Act in Canada includes regulations that prohibit false or misleading representations and deceptive marketing practices, for instance, intended to promote business interests. The Competition Bureau (2022) referred to the Competition Act and stipulates that:
“all representations, in any form whatsoever, that are false or misleading in a material respect are subject to its regulations.”
A reader might mistakenly conclude that there is a connection to a particular organisation when, in fact, none exists. This understanding of what constitutes false or misleading representations is often derived from a literal interpretation of the terms involved.
In summary, you have the option to request the removal of your data and information, for instance, to eliminate any misleading information. However, it is unfortunate that your data and information may be retained, and it can require significant effort to have it released.
Telehealth: Extending Helping Hands
You may through telehealth be able to access support services in rural and remote areas. People who, for example, experience anxiety, stress, and depression can benefit from telehealth (Society for Human Resource Management, 2020).
Accessing Telehealth Sessions
You may require assistance with operational technology to access telehealth. A family member, friend, or designated support person could be assigned to help you prepare for the session.
If you share your living space with others, is there a specific area you can allocate for telehealth sessions? It would be beneficial to display a visible sign outside the room indicating that sessions are currently taking place.
People may also be appointed to co-manage the computer systems, facilitating your connection with family, friends, and professional helpers. They could serve as guides, with specific roles to support you and others in accessing assistance.
Emotions can fluctuate with life events—such as transitioning into a new role, experiencing loss, or encountering conflict—requiring support from family, friends, mentors, and others to navigate and transform changes. Likewise, counselling, mediation, the arts and supports are not a one-size-fits-all process. Different environments, such as school, work, or personal exploration, may call for guidance from experts and more informal support systems like family and friends.
Guidance is needed not just in moments of challenge, but also in moments of growth. Customised support can provide tools, validation, and perspectives that help you make sense of your experiences, learn new skills, and develop emotional resilience. How do you see this dynamic unfolding out in a particular context, like education and personal development?
Deriving Health Benefits
You can derive benefits from synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (delayed) communication methods, allowing for connection at nearly any time. This observation does not underestimate the value of other options such as in-person counselling. Telehealth services supplement face-to-face sessions and may encourage you to seek in-person help.
All in all, telehealth contexts and frameworks broaden and build places for you to access help. The rights to access health services, privacy and data erasure could call for you and your family and friends to be creative and innovative to address strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in your situation.
Overall, the development of telehealth applications is ongoing, with various healing strategies being devised. Different facets of life appear to present both benefits and drawbacks. Awareness of these factors may equip people with the necessary preparedness. Telehealth could serve as a valuable avenue for accessing a variety of health services; however, there might be negative consequences if privacy rights are not acknowledged or upheld.
In Closing
The context of telehealth was covered in this post, highlighting the following key points:
Telehealth and Five Fundamental Steps for a Healthy Lifestyle:
Telehealth serves to promote a healthy lifestyle by integrating simple practices enhancing overall well-being.
Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle:
Telehealth facilitates informed lifestyle decisions, for example, by balancing physical activity and cognitive health strategies, often providing easy access to counsellors and various resources.
Discovering Motivating Destinations:
Engaging in travel or exploring new settings, including via telehealth platforms, can yield both physical and cognitive benefits.
The Growth of Telehealth:
The swift integration of telehealth has notably changed the landscape of healthcare accessibility.
What Are Telehealth’s Advantages and Disadvantages:
Telehealth generally offers several benefits, including convenience, lower healthcare expenses, and the capability to access medical care from nearly any location using a mobile device or computer. However, it also presents challenges related to privacy rights, the management of data deletion, and expressions.
How to contact us.
References
A-C
Atkinson, E., Galinkala, P., & Campos-Castillo, C. (2024, January). Telehealth Use in 2022 Among US Adults by Sexual Orientation. The American Journal of Managed Care, 30 (1).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38271570/
Berzins, C. (2016). Can the Right to be Forgotten Find Application in the Canadian Context? Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Competition Act, RSC 1985, c C -34.
Competition Bureau (2022). False or Misleading Representations and Deceptive Marketing Practices.
Dockeray, J. & Westbrook, N. (2018, Jun 2). Are You Ready for GDPR. The Estates Gazette, 56-58.
G-M
Gajda, J. (2018). Privacy, Press and the Right to be Forgotten in the United States. Washington Law Review.
https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wlr/vol93/iss1/5/
Galvin, E, Desselle, S., Gavin, B., McNicholas, F., & Cullinan, S. (2024, July 31).
Training Service Users in the Use of Telehealth: Scoping Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26 (4).
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/57586
Kraetschemer, N.M., Deber, P.D., Dick, P. & Jennett, P. (2009). Telehealth as gatekeeper: Policy implications for geography and scope of services. National Library of Medicine.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19694587/
Lee, A.C.W. & Harada, N. (2012). Physical Therapy, 92 (3).
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20110100
Manos, D. (2019, August 3). Older adults want telehealth, and MA is poised to expand its use: Some 52 percent of Americans older than 65—an estimated 25 million people—are willing to use telehealth, according to a new study by American Well. Health Data Management.
https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/older-adults-want-telehealth-and-ma-is-poised-to-expand-its-use
P-T
Proton (2024a). The General Data Protection Regulation 15.
https://gdpr.eu/article-17-right-to-be-forgotten/
Proton (2024b). What is GDPR, the EU Protection Law?
https://gdpr.eu/what-is-gdpr/
Public Service Commission of Canada (2020). Roles and responsibilities with respect to data at the public service commission.
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/publications/roles-responsibilities-with-respect-data-at-the-psc.html
Society for Human Resource Management (2020, April 28). During the Pandemic, Telehealth Steps Up: Most people say they’re more likely to use telehealth services in the future.
https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/benefits-compensation/pandemic-telehealth-steps
Swinburne University of Technology (2024). Wellbeing Clinic for Older Adults.
https://www.swinburne.edu.au/research/centres-groups-clinics/wellbeing-clinic/
Theobald, M. & Brazelton, T. (2020, May-June). STFM Form Task Force to Develop a National Telemedicine Curriculum. Annals of Family Medicine, 18 (3).
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1370/afm.2549
How to Contact Us