Virtual Care and Disaster Management for Nurse Practitioners

Flashcards covering the shift to virtual care, its modalities, risks, legal requirements, and the role of Nurse Practitioners in disaster and pandemic planning.

Virtual care

The use of information and communication technologies to deliver health services at a distance, including telephone, secure messaging, remote monitoring, and AI.

Synchronous care

Real-time communication modalities such as telephone, video, and virtual group sessions that allow for dynamic therapeutic interaction.

Asynchronous care

Healthcare interactions that occur at different times, such as secure messaging, e-mail, patient portals, and uploaded photographs or questionnaires.

Remote patient monitoring

The use of technology to track clinical data such as blood pressure, blood glucose, pulse oximetry, weight, and ECG to support early intervention in chronic disease management.

E-consultation

Asynchronous consultation between primary healthcare providers and specialists (e.g., dermatology, geriatrics) to improve access in rural areas and reduce wait times.

Digital Health Literacy

A social determinant of health involving a patient's ability to navigate digital platforms and devices, which must be assessed rather than assumed based on device ownership.

Digital divide

The inequity in access to technology shaped by geographic broadband availability, socioeconomic factors, age, and disability.

PHIPA

The Personal Health Information Protection Act, which applies equally to virtual and in-person care regarding the safeguarding of personal health information in Ontario.

Minimum necessary data principle

The requirement that healthcare providers only collect, use, or disclose the specific information reasonably required for a particular purpose.

HINPs (Health Information Network Providers)

Platforms that connect multiple custodians and are required to maintain audit logs, notify of unauthorized access, and conduct privacy and threat-risk assessments.

Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA)

Formal evaluations organizations must conduct before implementing virtual care to identify vulnerabilities and assess privacy risks.

PEP Framework

A communication framework for virtual encounters standing for Performance (provider presentation), Environment (lighting and setting), and Privacy/Security.

Jurisdictional licensure

Legal considerations for providing care to patients in different provinces or countries, which may affect scope of practice and liability protection.

Surge capacity

The ability of a health system to cope with sudden, massive demands during a disaster that exceed normal resource and staffing limits.

ICN Disaster Nurse Competency Domains

A framework identifying eight domains for nursing disaster response: Preparation/Planning, Communication, Incident Management, Safety, Assessment, Intervention, Recovery, and Law/Ethics.

Triage (Disaster Context)

The prioritization of patients based on urgency, survivability, resource allocation, and the likelihood of benefit during a mass-casualty event.

Utilitarian ethics

An ethical framework often used during disasters focusing on achieving the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

CBRNE

Specialized disaster preparedness categories referring to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive events.

Compassion fatigue

Emotional exhaustion resulting from continuous exposure to trauma and loss during prolonged disaster conditions, leading to decreased empathy and irritability.

Mitigation

The disaster management phase focused on identifying and reducing risks before an event, such as vaccination programs or infrastructure improvements.

Preparedness

The disaster management phase involving education, drills, planning, and stockpiling of supplies.

Response

The active phase of disaster management involving triage, search and rescue, surge management, and emergency care.

Recovery

The final phase of disaster management involving the restoration of services, rehabilitation, and evaluation of system performance for future planning.

Crisis standards of care

Altered clinical protocols implemented when systems are so overwhelmed that normal standards cannot be maintained, often requiring higher provider autonomy.