Covid & ISO Health Informatics Experience & Telehealth Services
The policy and resourcing choices will determine the future role of telehealth with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Flinders University conducted an investigation to poll health professionals to find out about their experiences using Telehealth during COVID-19. Telehealth, which allows physicians and healthcare professionals to communicate with patients over the phone or via through the internet, were promoted in Australia during the initial phases of the disease. This was done in order in order to decrease the risk of transmission of communicable illnesses. This program is especially beneficial for remote or rural communities who may not have access medical care.
Researchers from Flinders University including Professor Paul Ward and Dr Hailay Abrha Geosesew, Professor Anthony Maeder, Professor Hailay Abrha Geosesew and Dr Alan Taylor surveyed 91 healthcare professionals to gauge their experience with telehealth during the epidemic. According to the doctors there are some positives, such as legalizing telehealth services, greater trust in the provision of services as well as greater human and financial resources.
"While some physicians believed that the switch to telehealth had been prompted by the pandemic," stated Dr Alan Taylor, a principal author at Flinders University and member of the Australian Telehealth Society Committee.
Dr. Taylor declared that it was difficult to know whether telehealth services would continue after the pandemic. The complex mix of policies such as clinical practice and policies will have an impact on the future funding of the telehealth. Dr. Alan Taylor managed a project to develop an international standard for Telehealth Services. International Standards Organization Health Informatics Committee published a new ISO International Organization for Standardization Standard. It was called ISO 13131.2021 Health Informatics- Telehealth services- Quality Planning guidelines. See the ISO 13131:2021 Health informatics -- Telehealth services -- Quality planning guidelines doc here.
Dr Taylor stated that international standards are an important part of world trade in goods, services, and with the increasing use of telehealth services, it is crucial to maintain the quality of telehealth services subject to ISO/TR 11633-2:2021 Health informatics-Information security management for remote maintenance of medical devices and medical information systems. These guidelines can be extremely helpful for healthcare providers, including primary doctors, who want to implement risk management procedures in order to set standards for quality and establish protocols to manage telehealth service operations. Check more ISO/TR 11633-2:2021 Health informatics -- Information security management for remote maintenance of medical devices and medical information systems info.
The standard is composed of:
Quality control in the field of telehealth
The management of strategic, operational, and knowledge management processes in relation the regulations, best practices and guidelines
Healthcare processes that are related to people are the planning, health activities, and responsibilities
Financial resource management
Information security and management
Methods for the procurement of, planning, and the use of infrastructures, human resources, and facilities as well technologies resources