Discussion Prompt Explore the difference between telemedicine and telehealth and

Discussion Prompt
Explore the difference between telemedicine and telehealth and address when it is appropriate to use each of these by addressing the benefits and limitations of each.
Expectations
Length: A minimum of 180 words, not including references
Citations: At least one high-level scholarly reference in APA from within the last 5 years
Nursing practice has been significantly impacted by health informatics. Interestingly, the daily work of every nurse such as decision-making and communication is strongly influenced by informatics (Williams, 2019). During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has significantly helped provide good care for patients via communication technology (Mechanic, Persaud, & Kimball, 2020). Telehealth is a broader term used to describe remote clinical care services, as well as non-clinical services including provider training activities, administrative meetings, and other continuing medical education (Telehealth, 2022).
Telemedicine is a strong and effective virtual tool for healthcare workers to deliver cost-effective care for vulnerable individuals productively. Telemedicine uses telecommunications technologies to provide different healthcare services for individuals including (Telehealth.HHS.gov, 2022):
Virtual medical visits.
Interact with healthcare providers via a telehealth application base.
Transmit health information to monitor your health remotely.
Other platforms such as patient personal portals (MyHealth), care provider-patient portals (Epic, MediTech), etc.
Despite the convenience and benefits of telehealth and telemedicine, some limitations still exist which prevent the comprehensive implementation of these services. The disadvantages of telehealth services include technical issues, restrictions in physical assessment, and private information security (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). The first issue regarding the lack of physical interaction concerns the community as incorrect diagnoses and errors in medication prescriptions (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). In addition, the article by Gajarawala and Pelkowski emphasizes that telehealth only allows healthcare providers in certain states to practice healthcare services via telehealth; hence, populations in restricted states cannot benefit from the use of telehealth (2021). As advanced practice nurses, we need to understand the regulation of telehealth in the state in which we practice ensuring the legal regulations. Also, the APN should improve clinical skills and communication to provide high-quality care via telehealth to enhance the quality of care.
References
Gajarawala, S. N., & Pelkowski, J. N. (2021). Telehealth Benefits and Barriers. Elsevier – PMC COVID-19 Collection .
Mechanic, O. J., Persaud, Y., & Kimball, A. B. (2020). Telehealth Systems. StatPearls.
Telehealth. (2022). What Is The Difference Between Telemedicine, Telecare, and Telehealth? Retrieved from https://www.telehealth.com: https://www.telehealth.com/what-is-the-difference-…
Telehealth.HHS.gov. (2022). What is telehealth? Retrieved from https://telehealth.hhs.gov: https://telehealth.hhs.gov/patients/understanding-…