Risks Associated with Telehealth - Essay Example

"Risks Associated with Telehealth" is a good example of a paper on medical ethics.
The patient’s privacy issues were highly considered during the assessment. The information on the patient was transmitted electronically to ensure that they are secure from being tampered with and that no unauthorized individuals have access to the information. The information was safeguarded through following the privacy and security rules that have been put in place.  I ensured that as I talked to the patient the information that she gave to me remained between us and that none of the family members was able to access it. When carrying out home care patient assessment one has to be careful on the place where the assessment is carried out and the people present during the assessment (Hall, 2014). I ensured that I was the only person in the room while carrying out the assessment to ensure that the information remained between us.  The recording of information during the visit was also made private and confidential throughout the assessment.

The main patient’s issues that I focused on for the patient assessment was her living will that she wanted to leave behind for her family. We discussed who she wanted to inherit which part of her property to avoid family problems when she was not there anymore. This was what the patient wanted so that she could feel at peace. I also explained to her about DNR, which she opted for. I had to educate her about her medical condition and the expectations she should have if she makes an option for DNR.  I made sure that her decision to have a DNR was informed and that she knew of the Pros and cons of the decision. The fact that she did not want to be a burden to her family must have been what pushed her having a DNR and I made sure that in case she changed her mind she would let me know. I wrote the DNR order for her and that all her wishes were included in a living will in addition to making the family aware of the decision she had made.

The education given included what a DNR is and how it affects treatment. A DNR is an order that is written to say that CPR should not be administered in case of any emergency. The DNR means do not resuscitate meaning that the doctors should not attempt to perform an emergency CPR when the patient’s heartbeat has stopped. For the patient, it means that in case of cardiac arrest she should not be transferred to a hospital for CPR (Walls, 2013).

My plan for the patient follows up includes paying the patient another assessment to see how she is going on after a week. I will keep in touch through calls to know how the patient is doing and ensure she is still taking her medication and not just giving up on her life to wait for her death. The challenges I faced when assessing the patient include too many people wanting to be present during the assessment since it was a home assessment and the family members were anxious to know how she is fairing.  The benefits included that the patient was more comfortable at home than she would have been in a hospital.