The document discusses new skills and knowledge needed for health and social care staff in the context of increasing telehealth technologies. It identifies six areas where skills may need to develop: (1) basic IT and technical skills, (2) handling personal information, (3) knowledge of specific technologies, (4) assessment and supporting self-assessment, (5) installing, maintaining and disposing equipment, and (6) operating telehealth services. It emphasizes that new understandings are also important, such as empowering users and informed consent. Skills are needed for all staff as telehealth relates to integrated services.

1. Carenet Final Conference:
February 2014
Brussels
New Skills and
Knowledge Sets for
Health & Social Care Staff
in Context of Telehealth
Dr Malcolm Fisk mfisk@cad.coventry.ac.uk

2. The Context (1)
Changing Technologies
• Changing Service Frameworks
• Changing Service Paradigms
• Increasing focus on telehealth / eHealth
• Shortage of nursing staff (and other allied health staff?)
• Attention needed on the
skills, knowledge and
competencies of staff
• Question regarding
health literacy and digital skills of
service users and carers

3. The Context (2)
• European eHealth / telehealth developments –
including the eHealth Action Plan
eHealth Stakeholders Group
EU‐US Collaboration
Action Plan for the EU Health Workforce
• European Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy Ageing –
including B3 Group: Integrated Care
• TeleSCoPE project –
European Code of Practice
for Telehealth Services
• UK Work by
Skills for Care & Development for
social care staff

4. What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is …the means by which
technologies and related services
concerned with health and
wellness are accessed by people or
provided for them, at a distance.

5. Telehealth Domains
Some Conditions & Circumstances Telehealth Service Domains
Sight or hearing loss
Mobility and dexterity problems
Mental health problems
Chronic kidney, heart or lung conditions
Neurological conditions
Diabetes
Frailty
Dementia
Pregnancy
Learning disabilities
Palliative care
Provision of health information
Health and motivational coaching
Activity, behavioural and lifestyle monitoring
Gait, seizure and falls monitoring
Point of care testing, and support for
diagnoses/decision making
Vital signs monitoring
mHealth
Prompting for medication or therapy
adherence
Rehabilitation and (re)ablement
Responding to ‘events’
Tele‐consultation

6. Telehealth
Everywhere – for Everyone
25.02.14
Home
In school
At college
In work
On the
move

7. To Support People
in New Ways
Key Reasons
for New Skills
and Knowledge
Sets
• Public and Preventative
Health Agendas
• Self‐Management
• Better Lifestyles
• Development of ‘Health Capital’
[Per EC eHealth Action Plan]
• Personalisation
– whole person approaches
• Support for health
– motivation, medication (?)

8. Potential New Skills and
Knowledge Sets
1 Basic IT and Technical Skills
2 Personal Information
3 Knowledge of
Specific Technologies
4 Assessment / Supporting
Self‐Assessment
5 Installing, Maintaining and
Disposal of Equipment
6 Operation of
Telehealth Services

9. But also …New Understandings
It’s not so much what tasks are undertaken
… much greater understanding is needed of why things are done
… to empower users and carers
… to nurture autonomy
… to provide real (and informed) choice

10. 1. Basic IT and Technical Skills
• Digital Literacy
o Basic ICT tasks – switching, charging
o Using mobile telephones
• Awareness (and Promotion of) of the
User Benefits of ICT
o The importance and social benefit
of ICT for users and carers
o The ways in which ICT
may help people access information
o How people access services and information
relevant to jobs, education, training as well as
health and well‐being

11. 2. Personal Information
• Privacy and Confidentiality
o Potential of technologies to breach people’s right to
privacy
o How personal information should be safeguarded
• Using and Sharing Data
o Protocols between agencies
• Informed Consent
o Importance of ensuring
that users and carers
views are taken into
account … and consent
obtained with regard to
f l d

12. 3. Knowledge of Specific Technologies
• Range Available
o Understanding of role of such technologies and related services
o How they are procured
o How people can access them – retail outlets, etc.
o How people can learn more about them – signposting, etc.
• Recognising Limits to Knowledge
o The vastness of AT options
o Knowing limitations of knowledge
o Interoperability of technologies
o Recognising key role of specialists

13. 4. Assessment and Supporting Self‐
Assessment
• Undertaking Assessments
o Problem solving in family and community context
o Determining risks
o Working with other agencies
o Telehealth in context of other services
• Supporting Self Assessment
o How to assist others in self‐assessing
o Options around procurement of services

14. 5. Installing, Maintaining and Disposal of
Telehealth Equipment
• Installation Plus
o Free‐standing and fitted devices
o Links to power sources, telephone and Broadband networks
o Safety requirements (including handling)
• Maintenance
o Faults and fault finding
o Cleaning / decontamination, infection control, etc.
o Checks / maintenance per manufacturer guidance, etc.
o Removal, storage and recycling process

15. 6. Operation of Telehealth Services
• Purpose and Operation of Telehealth Services
o Role and purpose
o Operation with other services
• Interpreting Data
o Importance of data
o Importance of data accuracy
• Making and Handling Calls
o Text, voice, video
o Relevance of information received
o Special care in communication

16. Conclusion
• New skills and knowledge are required
• Relates to understandings as well as tasks …
• For all staff
o Social care
o Health
o Others?
• Relates to
service
integration

17. Thank You
Diolch yn Fawr
Dr Malcolm Fisk mfisk@cad.coventry.ac.uk