The evolution and utilization of telehealth in ambulatory nutrition practice

Abstract

The term telehealth is often used interchangeably with telemedicine. Telemedicine involves the electronic exchange of medical information between two remote sites for the optimization of patient care, whereas telehealth is the application of all electronic communication and delivery systems in the provision of healthcare. Telehealth gives patients an opportunity to communicate with their healthcare providers and, overall, access ambulatory care that otherwise is not available in their area of residence. Several telehealth delivery systems are available for electronic communication. Telehealth and other communications technologies used in the delivery of healthcare services are regulated at both the federal and state levels. Coverage and payment policies vary among the different insurers (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, and private plans), and policies may further be defined by state telehealth parity laws. Telenutrition involves the use of digital technology to provide nutrition care to patients and caregivers and shows potential to optimize nutrition care and outcomes. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has contributed to sweeping legislative and regulatory changes that allowed the temporary expansion of telehealth delivery and reimbursement to maintain continuity of care for patients who were not able to come in for an in‐person office visit with their healthcare provider. The purpose of this review is to introduce key concepts of telehealth delivery systems including policy, legal, and regulatory considerations for ambulatory care as well as the role of telenutrition in nutrition care, and highlight the evolving role of telehealth in optimizing patient and nutrition care during a pandemic and beyond.

Exploring Telemedicine: The Perceptions and Utilization among Patients

“…A study published in Nutrition in Clinical Practice reviewed legislative and regulatory changes and discussed issues such as disparities in access to telehealth, payment for telehealth versus in-person care, and concerns about fraud, quality and safety. This study illustrated how regulatory frameworks affect the delivery and effectiveness of telehealth services [14].…”

Toward objective monitoring of Parkinson's disease motor symptoms using a wearable device: wearability and performance evaluation of PDMonitor®

“…To address this issue, sensor-based systems have been developed for the quantitative evaluation of motor symptoms' severity, and some of them have been specifically designed for tracking PD symptoms (11)(12)(13)(14). The idea of telemedicine is not new (15), but during the last 20 years, technological advancements and enhancement of telecommunication infrastructure, have made the accurate remote monitoring of patients with diverse disorders, such as PD, possible (16,17). For neurodegenerative diseases, affecting both motor and cognitive functions, technological health services have emerged as useful tools for tackling the challenge of patient-physician contact, in cases where patients' visits to medical centers are laborious (18).…”

Could Telenutrition Be Applied Interchangeably with the Face-to-Face Interview for Dietary Intake Assessment in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

“…Telenutrition implicates the interactive use of electronic and telecommunication technologies to supply nutritional therapy to patients. This approach possessed a high potential to improve nutrition consequences (4) and to assisted reducing disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic (5). The advantages were also cost-effectiveness of interview approach for assessing usual dietary intakes and the capability of gathering data from a large number of individuals in geographic areas with widely scattered populations (6,7).…”