ISO 13131 11633-2 Health Informatics Telehealth Services
Covid & ISO Health Informatics Experience & Telehealth ServicesThe future of telehealth within the framework of the COVID-19 epidemic will be determined by policies and resourcing. Flinders University's study surveyed health professionals about their experiences using telehealth in COVID-19. Telehealth, which lets healthcare professionals and doctors to communicate with patients by either via phone or internet, was encouraged in Australia during initial stages of the pandemic. This was to lower the possibility of transmitting infectious diseases. This is particularly useful to remote and rural areas without having access to medical services.
A team of researchers from Flinders University including Professor Paul Ward and Dr Hailay Abrha Geosesew, Professor Anthony Maeder, Professor Hailay Abrha Gesesew , and Dr Alan Taylor surveyed 91 healthcare professionals to gauge their experience using telehealth in the context of the pandemic. According to the physicians they found positive aspects such as legalizing telehealth services as well as increased trust in the service provision, and greater human- and financial resources.
"While there were many doctors who believed the switch to telehealth had taken place because of the pandemic" stated Dr Alan Taylor (a principal researcher at Flinders University who is also a member of the Australian Telehealth Society Committee).
Dr Taylor stated that it is hard to know if Telehealth will continue following the pandemic. Future funding for telehealth could be affected by this nebulous mixture of policy and the clinical practices. Dr Alan Taylor was also responsible for the development of an international standard that covers provide telehealth services. International Standards Organization Health Informatics Committee (ISO 13131:2021 Health Informatics: Telehealth service- Quality planning guidelines) has published a new ISO International Organization for Standardization Standard. See the ISO 13131:2021 Health informatics -- Telehealth services -- Quality planning guidelines doc here.
Dr Taylor stated that international standards are an important part of world trade in goods, services, and with the increasing use of telehealth services, it is crucial to maintain the quality of telehealth services subject to ISO/TR 11633-2:2021 Health informatics-Information security management for remote maintenance of medical devices and medical information systems. These guidelines will be extremely helpful to healthcare providers, such as primary care physicians who are looking to employ risk management to establish guidelines for quality standards and establish procedures for the operation in telehealth. Check more ISO/TR 11633-2:2021 Health informatics -- Information security management for remote maintenance of medical devices and medical information systems info.
The standard consists of:
Quality management in telehealth
Strategic and operational processes related to regulations, knowledge management (best practice) and guidelines
Healthcare processes that relate to individuals, like planning, activities in the field of healthcare, and the responsibilities
Management of financial resources
Information security and management
The processes involved in the procurement and planning of human resources, infrastructure, and facilities, in addition to technology resources