Discuss at least 2 ethical concerns.
A potential ethical problem with the delivery of telehealth is that there’s no personal interaction between nurses, and their patients. Technology-mediated communication can be impersonal, which could impede a nurse’s ability to establish a therapeutic relationship with their patient. In some instances, it can be challenging for nurses to diagnose a patient’s condition remotely (e.g. pain), due to technological limitations.
Concerns about data transmission and storage are also ethical concerns. The platforms of telemedicine must make sure that the health data shared over video and phone calls remains secure, confidential and private even if it’s transmitted through public networks or devices such as mobile phones or tablets. In addition, because virtual visits are often used to share sensitive patient information, nurses should be educated on the regulations and ensure that they adhere to them when providing telehealth.