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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Elizabeth Z Williams, JD and Maria Woolverton. Child Development Center, Georgetown University, 3307 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
Many who work on behalf of children with special health care needs and their families advocate for the creation and use of the medical home. Unfortunately, medical home has proven difficult to access for many, especially those in rural and remote areas. Telehealth--defined as the electronic transmission of information from one site to another to provide health care services or information-can serve as a tool to access a medical home. In this session, results will be presented from a study examining the use of telehealth for CSHCN living in remote settings. A series of case studies is being conducted focusing on children with special health care needs living in rural or remote communities who have accessed university-based specialists through video-teleconferencing. A basic premise of this study is that video-teleconferencing can enhance access to a more comprehensive system of care and enhance local service provision for CSHCN. Data will be presented from the case studies demonstrating family and provider perspectives on how video-teleconferencing enhances communication and collaboration (between and among providers and family members), engages distant specialty providers, facilitates the creation and modification of care plans, enhances community-based service capacity, and is time- and cost-efficient. Finally, other current and emerging uses of telehealth for children with special health care needs will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Rural Health Care, Telehealth
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.