Pandemic Action Plan: Phase 3-Lessons Learned from Implementation. "What Did We Learn?".

The COVID-19 pandemic created critical challenges for hospitals and health care providers. Suddenly clinics were forced to close; elective procedures were delayed; scheduled visits were canceled; emergency rooms were overcrowded; hospital beds, equipment, and personal protective equipment (PPE) were in short supply; and staff were faced with rapidly changing circumstances, care protocols, trauma, and personal risk. To better address challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future pandemics, the National Telemedicine Technology Assessment Resource Center (TTAC) was asked to develop a Pandemic Response Action Plan that would allow its users to address critical issues with available telemedicine and related technologies.

Designing and Implementing TeleBehavioral Health Training to Support Rapid and Enduring Transition to Virtual Care in the COVID Era.

As telebehavioral health continues to advance and become part of routine care, there is a need to develop effective training methods. While a consensus on how to best train telebehavioral health has not yet been achieved, this commentary will describe how evidence-based implementation strategies were used to develop a framework to create and implement a telebehavioral health training program that is relevant and enduring for a given audience. Evidence-based implementation strategies included the PARiHS criteria which were used to organize the project.

Pandemic Telemedicine Technology Response Plan and Technology Assessment Phase 2: Pandemic Action Plan Key Issues and Technology Solutions for Health Care Delivery Organizations in a Pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic created critical challenges for hospitals and healthcare providers. Suddenly clinics were forced to close; scheduled visits were cancelled; emergency rooms were overcrowded; hospital beds, equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) was in short supply; and staff were faced with rapidly changing circumstances, care protocols, trauma and personal risk. In order to better address the ongoing the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future pandemics, the National Telemedicine Technology Assessment resource Center (TTAC) was asked to develop an Pandemic Response Action Plan that would allow its user to address critical issues with available telemedicine and related technologies.

Pandemic Action Plan Policy and Regulatory Summary Telehealth Policy and Regulatory Considerations During a Pandemic.

Reports, studies, and surveys have demonstrated telehealth provides opportunities to make health care more efficient, better coordinated, convenient, and affordable. Telehealth can also help address health income and access disparities in underserved communities by removing location and transportation barriers, unproductive time away from work, childcare expenses, and so on. Despite evidence showing high-quality outcomes, satisfaction, and success rates (e.

Central Assessment of Psychosis Service: A Tele-evaluation Service to Support Early Identification of Psychosis.

Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is a reliable predictor of longitudinal psychosis trajectory. The limited availability of specialized assessment needed for early identification contributes to a lengthy average DUP in the United States. This column outlines the development of the Central Assessment of Psychosis Service (CAPS), a novel tele-evaluation service that extends specialized expertise in screening and assessment of psychosis and psychosis risk to publicly funded early psychosis clinics.

Designing an Academic-Community Telepsychiatry Partnership to Provide Inpatient and Outpatient Services in a Critical Access Hospital.

To expand access to mental health treatment in an underserved area, the University of Washington (UW) and Dayton General Hospital (DGH) entered into a partnership to provide comprehensive telepsychiatry services to individuals living in rural Columbia County. Outpatient care is provided by behavioral health consultants at two DGH-affiliated primary care clinics in consultation with a UW-based psychiatrist with expertise in addictions. Inpatient care is supported by regular consultation with UW psychiatrists as well as unscheduled "curbside" consults with attending UW psychiatrists.

Transaction cost analysis of in-clinic versus telehealth consultations for chronic pain: preliminary evidence for rapid and affordable access to interdisciplinary collaborative consultation.

Objectives: With ever increasing mandates to reduce costs and increase the quality of pain management, health care institutions are faced with the challenge of adopting innovative technologies and shifting workflows to provide value-based care. Transaction cost economic analysis can provide comparative evaluation of the consequences of these changes in the delivery of care. The aim of this study was to establish proof-of-concept using transaction cost analysis to examine chronic pain management in-clinic and through telehealth.

Development and implementation of a telehealth-enhanced intervention for pain and symptom management.

Managing chronic pain effectively is often challenging for health care providers and patients. Telehealth technologies can bridge geographic distance and improve patients' quality of care in communities where access to pain specialists has previously been unavailable. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a telehealth intervention (TelePain) designed to address the need for pain specialist consultation regarding pain and symptom management issues in non-academic medical centers.

Reiki training for caregivers of hospitalized pediatric patients: a pilot program.

To explore the feasibility of a Reiki therapy-training program for the caregivers of pediatric medical or oncology inpatients, at a large pediatric hospital, a series of Reiki training classes were offered by a Reiki Master. At completion of the training, an interview was conducted to elicit participant's feedback regarding the effectiveness and feasibility of the training program. Seventeen of the 18 families agreed to participate.

Project ECHO: a model for complex, chronic care in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

The Pacific Northwest of the US is a large, sparsely populated region. A telehealth programme called Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) was tested in this region in 2009. Weekly videoconferences were held in the areas of hepatitis C, chronic pain, integrated addictions and psychiatry, and HIV/AIDS.

Role of telehealth/videoconferencing in managing cancer pain in rural American Indian communities.

Objectives: This project is aimed at determining the feasibility and effect of using videoconferencing to deliver cancer-related pain management education and case consultation to health care providers in rural AI/AN communities.

Methods: The project provided four educational sessions and nine case conferences to health care providers at tribal clinics in Washington State and Alaska using videoconferencing with pain experts at the University of Washington. A cross-sectional, descriptive study design was used to survey the participating providers.

Enhancing access to cancer education for rural healthcare providers via telehealth.

Healthcare providers serving rural populations face numerous barriers to accessing educational programming. Difficulties accessing continuing professional education contribute to the challenges of providing comprehensive health care in the rural setting. Telehealth can inform and educate rural providers about changes in medicine and evidence-based practices, both of which may help them provide quality care.

Developing the Native People for Cancer Control Telehealth Network.

Objective: We aimed to develop a telehealth network to deliver postdiagnosis cancer care clinical services and education to American Indian and Alaska Native patients, their families, and their healthcare providers. We also sought to identify the challenges and opportunities of implementing such a telehealth-based application for this rural and underserved population.

Materials And Methods: We followed a participatory formative evaluation approach to engage all stakeholders in the telehealth network design and implementation.

Satisfaction with telehealth for cancer support groups in rural American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

A descriptive study was conducted to determine the information needs of American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) cancer survivors and assess satisfaction with and acceptability of telehealth support group services for cancer survivors in AI and AN rural communities. AI and AN cancer survivors were asked to complete the Telehealth Satisfaction Survey and two open-ended questions, one regarding information needs and one seeking comments and suggestions about cancer support group meetings. Thirty-two surveys were returned.

Ethical considerations regarding the use of technology for older adults. The case of telehealth.

Life expectancy increases and ongoing growth of the population older than 65 have led to new models of aging research aimed at promoting independence and empowerment of older adults. Advances in information technology have introduced numerous ways to enhance or expand health care and support service research and development. The purpose of this article is to discuss ethical considerations associated with the use of technology with older adults in research and practice and to present a framework for such ethical parameters.