Telehealth Technology Connecting People Separated By COVID-19

COVID-19 changed that for me, and it resulted not from a second chance at life, but in providing more compassionate endings to meaningful lives.

 

Of all the truly heartbreaking aspects of coronavirus, and no doubt there are many, one of the most regrettable is when patients pass away without loved ones by their side. But with COVID a threat to everyone, hospitals had to significantly restrict their visitation policies to keep healthcare staff, patients, and families safe and prevent further exposure. A difficult but unavoidable situation for everyone.

We were determined, however, to overcome it, and telehealth video technology provided a solution, connecting families and offering some small comfort in an otherwise heartbreaking situation. While it certainly didn’t ease the pain of not being there in person, being able to communicate till the very end, even if it was only virtually, brought some much-needed closure and peace of mind among the despair.

 

We then looked to Memorial Hospital Pembroke (MHP) in Pembroke Pines as another outlet to innovate and expand the benefits of telehealth. With an eye on enhancing communication between patients and clinicians, our team installed bedside iPads in two coronavirus units. Tablets in nearly 50 patient rooms now automatically link with the medical staff so those too sick to operate a device can still be connected at all times with caregivers.

 

While it will never completely replace in-person care and contact, nor should it, using telehealth in this way reduces the burn rate of personal protective equipment and the risk of further exposing hospital personnel, and those they’re in contact with, to infection.

 

As we rolled out the program at MHP, there was an immediate demand for additional equipment that required us to double the number of installations we initially planned for. It was a case of technology providing a game-changing solution to a problem, frequently entering patient rooms, that hadn’t previously been an issue.

 

To date, more than 250 iPads have been distributed throughout Memorial Healthcare System and have been universally embraced by patients, families, nurses, doctors, and even chaplains looking to communicate in non-emergency situations. For patients and families in less critical situations, the technology helps pass the time and enables those outside the hospital to keep up to date on the medical treatment of their loved ones.

 

Whether iPads or the next generation of equipment, it’s understood this style of technology will continue long after COVID-19 runs its course. While the pandemic certainly increased the speed of acceptance, care providers were already becoming comfortable making other forms of telemedicine part of their everyday practice. This includes replacing in-person examinations, when possible, with online visits through portals like our own MemorialDocNow (www.memorialdocnow.com) and MyChart applications.

 

A 600% increase in telehealth usage within our healthcare system in 2020 foreshadows the future of the telemedicine, but it’s a journey we’ve been on since 2014. It was then that Memorial’s forward-thinking leadership first understood telehealth could better serve patients, protect our bottom line, and meet the desires of an increasingly tech-savvy consumer base.

 

Six years later, it’s a care delivery method that is now accepted by patients, care providers, and payers in a way it wasn’t before ‘stay-at-home orders’ and ‘physical distancing’ became part of our everyday vernacular and COVID-19 changed the way people live and die.