Introduction
A telehealth program is a healthcare model that uses technology to remotely deliver health services and healthcare information. Some examples of services that telehealth can provide include monitoring patients remotely and virtual consultation, among others (Thomas et al., 2022). Multiple stakeholders can be included when planning a new telehealth program for an organization. Every stakeholder to be included in this program is important and has specific roles and contributions to the success of the telehealth program. Some stakeholders to be included are; patients, healthcare providers, Information Technology (IT) department, and Administrators.
Patients
The first stakeholders to be included in the telehealth program are patients. Patients are the beneficiaries or end users of the telehealth program; therefore, it is very critical to include them in the planning stage. Patients can provide an overview of the features they would like to see in the telehealth program and how it can be user-friendly (Thomas et al., 2022). There are various benefits of including patients in telehealth programs.
First, patients will help to ensure that the program provides patient-centered care. Patients are the program’s users, and their preferences should be prioritized. Patients will help design the program for it to meet their needs and preferences, thereby contributing to the achievement of healthcare goals. Second, patients will help identify the barriers to adopting the telehealth program. Since the patients will be the users of this program, they can provide insight into the challenges they will face in adopting this program. Some of the patients’ concerns may be access to technology, privacy, and security concerns, among others (Thomas et al., 2022). Knowing these challenges will help in developing strategies to solve them. Finally, the patients will help improve the program’s utilization and uptake. When patients are involved in the planning stage of this program, they can easily understand and value it, increasing the utilization and uptake of the program.
Healthcare Providers
Healthcare providers are the second stakeholders that must be included in the planning of telehealth programs. The healthcare providers include doctors, nurses, physicians, and other health professionals. The role of healthcare providers in giving an overview of the clinical workflow and insight into the types of patients who will benefit from the planned program and how it can be integrated into clinical practices (Gallegos-Rejas et al., 2023). There are several benefits of involving healthcare providers in the planning stage of a telehealth program.
The first benefit is that healthcare providers are clinical expertise. Being clinical expertise means that these providers can bring their knowledge and experience to the planning and ensure that the program has been designed to meet the needs of the healthcare providers and the patients. The second benefit is the understanding of the needs of patients. Healthcare providers are the ones who offer services to patients, and they have a deep understanding of the needs of patients. Therefore, they can help ensure that the telehealth program has been modified to meet those needs. The third benefit of including healthcare providers is integration with existing workflow. These people are still working in an organization, and they understand the workflow better. Therefore, they will help ensure that the planned program has been integrated with the existing workflow, making it easier to use and reducing the risk of errors (Gallegos-Rejas et al., 2023). Finally, healthcare providers can help ensure that the telehealth program will provide quality, effective, safe care and meets the best clinical practices.
IT department
The information technology department is the third stakeholder to be involved in the planning of the telehealth program. These stakeholders must be included since they are responsible for the organization’s technical infrastructure. The role of these stakeholders is to give a general insight into the technical requirements of the telehealth program. Some of the things they can advise about include the network, software, and hardware that will be needed to support the telehealth program (Gallegos-Rejas et al., 2023). The following are the benefits of involving the IT department in the planning stage.
The first one is technical support. The department of information technology is responsible for technical infrastructure in an organization, and they must bring their knowledge and experience into the planning of the telehealth program. For instance, the IT department will help ensure the program is designed using the latest technology. The second benefit is security. Nowadays, cases of cybercrime are everywhere, including in healthcare organizations. Involving the IT department in planning will help design the telehealth program with the necessary security, thereby protecting patients’ critical data (Gallegos-Rejas et al., 2023). The third benefit of involving the IT department is system integration. The IT department is responsible for integrating telehealth with other systems like electronic health records. Finally, including the IT department in planning will help identify the cost-saving opportunity, like leveraging the existing IT technologies to reduce the general cost of the program.
Administrators
The final stakeholders that must be included in the planning of a new telehealth program are administrators. The administration is responsible for the general management of the healthcare organization, and they can play a critical role in the planning of a new program (Gallegos-Rejas et al., 2023). Some areas where the administration can provide support include allocating resources, measuring the program’s success, and ensuring that the telehealth program has been aligned with the organization’s goals.
There are several benefits of including administration in planning a new telehealth program. The first benefit is strategic planning. The administrators can play a critical in assisting with strategic planning and ensuring that the planned telehealth program has been aligned with the goals of the organization, its mission, and its vision. Secondly, administrators can help in resource allocation. Administrators are responsible for allocating resources through the budget, and they can help allocate resources and staff members who can facilitate the implementation of the planned program. The third advantage is that the administration can assist in regulatory compliance. The administrators can ensure that the telehealth program has been designed to comply with the required standards, thereby reducing regulatory issues (Gallegos-Rejas et al., 2023). Finally, the healthcare organization administration can help establish a quality improvement process to monitor the program’s performance and outcomes.
Challenges in Leading the Work Group
There are several challenges that I have to overcome when leading the workgroup. Involving different stakeholders is not easy; therefore, they must be problematic since they can differ in some views, and others may want to contribute more than other stakeholders. The first challenge I will handle is balancing each stakeholder’s competing interests and priorities (Valenta et al., 2021). Some feel that their views should be prioritized over other stakeholders’ views. The second challenge I must deal with is managing stakeholder conflict and disagreement. Obviously, where each person is supposed to contribute, there is always disagreement. The third challenge to be handled is ensuring that each person or stakeholder has equal input (Valenta et al., 2021). Finally, I must overcome resistance to change and promote adopting the telehealth program.
Role of Telehealth Coordinator in Overcoming Barriers
The role of the telehealth coordinator is to ensure the facilitation and implementation of the telehealth program. There are different steps that a coordinator should take to overcome barriers in leading the workgroup. The first is establishing a clear communication channel (Stone, 2020). The coordinator’s role is to ensure that all stakeholders are informed about the progress and that their inputs are considered regularly to avoid any barriers. The second role of the coordinator is to encourage collaboration among stakeholders. This can help stakeholders in working together and solve their differences. The third role of the telehealth coordinator is to address all concerns. Whenever stakeholders raise a concern, it is the responsibility of the coordinator to address it and develop strategies to overcome any foreseen barrier (Stone, 2020). Finally, coordinators should develop a clear implementation plan and define the responsibilities and roles of each stakeholder to avoid collusion among stakeholders.
References
Gallegos-Rejas, V. M., Thomas, E. E., Kelly, J. T., & Smith, A. C. (2023). A multi-stakeholder approach is needed to reduce the digital divide and encourage equitable access to telehealth. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 29(1), 73-78.
Thomas, E. E., Taylor, M. L., Ward, E. C., Hwang, R., Cook, R., Ross, J. A., … & Caffery, L. J. (2022). Beyond forced telehealth adoption: a framework to sustain telehealth among allied health services. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 1357633X221074499.
Valenta, S. R., Glanville, M., & Sederstrom, E. (2021). Telehealth development, implementation, and sustainability challenges: An Introduction to the telehealth service implementation model (TSIM™). Telemedicine: Overview and Application in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, 61-69.
Stone, R. L. (2020). How an Ohio-based physician organization overcame internal hurdles and launched a telehealth service as covid-19 shutdowns loomed. NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery, 1(5).
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