- Published: September 23, 2022
- Updated: September 23, 2022
- University / College: University of Ottawa
- Level: Undergraduate
- Language: English
- Downloads: 18
RISKS & ISSUES Learner’s Affiliated institute Infrastructure and expertise The virtual support of the patients relies entirely on the IT infrastructure. For instance, a patient may be required to have a phone with a high pixel camera and reliable Internet connection, in order to access the virtual services. However, the infrastructure and the expertise are not a guaranteed. This may disadvantage those patients who lack the know-how of how to use the required technologies or lack access to the technologies altogether.
Organizational and process changes
Organizations and processes taking place in the contemporary organization are not static. The changes that occur in the organization may affect the ways of conducting business. For instance, the methods of treating Chronic Eczema may change, hence rendering the previous routines useless. For example, a new method of diagnosing Chronic Eczema may be discovered, and hence taking of picture of the affected part by the patient and sending it to the Dermatologist becomes less useful.
Reliance on patient technology could exacerbate health inequalities
The technologies available to different patients are varied. The knowledge to make proper use of the technologies available to the patient are also not guaranteed. For instance, relying on the photos taken by the patient may not give a clear picture of the intensity of the infection, especially if the focus of the photos is not good. For this reason, relying on the patient’s technologies may impair the process of offering equitable health services. For equitability in health service delivery, practices such as diagnosis should be uniform across the patients.
Limitation of benefits to GP and Hospitals
The virtual support hinders the patient from accessing quality services, which would be offered in the event of the patient visiting the GP and hospitals. It is likely that if the patient gets virtual support, he/ she doesn’t enjoy some of the services, which are difficult to implement in the online support systems.
