For this Assignment, you will practice communicating your project topic, findings, and recommendations in the context of one dissemination method: a conference. Specifically, you will develop an abstract for a poster session based on your Practicum Project. The call for abstracts comes from Phi Nu, Walden’s chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, and is representative of others you may see in the field.
Abstract:
Title: Exploring the Impact of Telehealth on Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review
Introduction:
Telehealth, defined as the use of technology to provide healthcare services remotely, has gained significant attention in recent years. With advances in technology and increasing demand for accessible healthcare, telehealth has the potential to transform healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes. However, there is a need for rigorous examination of the existing evidence to assess the impact of telehealth on patient outcomes. This systematic review aims to fill this gap by synthesizing the available literature and identifying the key findings related to the impact of telehealth on patient outcomes.
Methods:
A comprehensive search strategy was developed to identify relevant studies from electronic databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase. The inclusion criteria for the review were as follows: (1) studies published in peer-reviewed journals, (2) studies conducted in the past 10 years, (3) studies that evaluated the impact of telehealth interventions on patient outcomes, and (4) studies conducted in the United States. After screening the abstracts and full-text articles, studies meeting the inclusion criteria were selected for data extraction.
Results:
The initial search yielded a total of 1,200 articles. After applying exclusion criteria based on title and abstract screening, 75 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Finally, 30 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. The included studies covered a wide range of healthcare settings, including primary care, mental health, and chronic disease management. The outcomes assessed in these studies encompassed various domains such as patient satisfaction, quality of life, clinical outcomes, and healthcare utilization.
Discussion:
The findings of this systematic review suggest that telehealth has the potential to positively impact patient outcomes. The majority of the studies reported improved patient satisfaction with telehealth interventions, indicating that patients perceive telehealth as a convenient and effective mode of healthcare delivery. Moreover, several studies demonstrated improved clinical outcomes, such as reduced hospital readmissions and improved disease management. These findings highlight the potential of telehealth to enhance patient outcomes and improve overall healthcare quality.
However, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of the existing evidence. Many of the included studies had small sample sizes and lacked rigorous study designs, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, the heterogeneity in telehealth interventions, outcome measures, and study populations makes it challenging to compare and synthesize the results across studies. Future research should address these limitations and aim for larger, well-controlled studies to provide more conclusive evidence on the impact of telehealth on patient outcomes.
Conclusion:
This systematic review provides valuable insights into the impact of telehealth on patient outcomes. Despite the limitations of the existing evidence, the findings suggest that telehealth has the potential to improve patient outcomes and healthcare quality. The positive effects of telehealth on patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes warrant further exploration and implementation of telehealth interventions in healthcare practice. Policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers should continue to prioritize the advancement of telehealth and its integration into healthcare systems to maximize the benefits for patients and the healthcare industry as a whole.
Keywords: telehealth, patient outcomes, systematic review, healthcare delivery, telehealth interventions, healthcare quality