Teaching Telehealth Approaches in a Pandemic

Overview: This panel will discuss teaching MSW students telehealth and its application in integrated health care settings. Issues surrounding telehealth such as privacy concerns, ethical considerations, biases in health care settings, and training MSW students to feel competent using this platform that has exponentially increased as a result of the Pandemic.Proposal text: This panel of experts will explore and discuss the strengths and challenges related to teaching MSW students the use of telehealth platforms and their applications in integrated health care settings. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic, electronic video platforms delivering mental health care have drastically increased. Focus is placed on issues surrounding telehealth such as privacy concerns, ethical considerations, and training. The panel will address how intersectionality and the social determinants of health affect the efficacy of telehealth while exploring diversity and equity issues, especially within marginalized communities. The panel will address the challenges and opportunities teaching MSW students how telehealth is used in integrated health care settings. We will also explore the similar challenges and opportunities using telehealth with various communities.
Technology has been the focus of telehealth, but it is actually about how to deliver competent and ethical services, where and how they can be provided and how they can enhance clinical care. The panel will further articulate what telehealth is while reflecting on its history and current usage. We will examine the dynamics of regulations, for example having to provide services from a different state, as well as the importance of delivering culturally competent care. We will describe the concepts of the aforementioned as well as cultural humility as it applies to integrated care providers. Further, the panel will discuss what populations benefit most from telehealth while reflecting on its challenges and limitations through an intersectional multicultural lens. Finally, we will address telehealth applications with various communities and how to best teach these applications to MSW students so they may feel competent in utilizing this platform.