A paper that examines the future use of telemedicine for children, written by a senior in Southern Illinois University’s Health Care Management Program, will be submitted to a national healthcare essay competition.
Jacqueline Nash’s essay “Using Telemedicine to Improve Patient Care in Pediatric Patients” was selected to represent the HCM program in the Richard J. Stull Student Essay Competition in Healthcare Management. The American College of Healthcare Executives hosts the annual competition.
Nash is from Bettendorf, Iowa, and was a 2017 recipient of the MidAmerica Healthcare Executives Forum Award.
Telemedicine in health care field dates to the late 1950s
Telemedicine allows health care professionals to remotely diagnose and treat patients through telecommunications technology. Nash’s essay states that telemedicine “is the future of modern and progressive health care and organizations need to take actions now to prepare for the trend taking over the healthcare world.”
Her paper notes “while a majority of research and investments for telemedicine have gone toward adults and elderly patients, children create a new environment where telemedicine could prove to be significantly beneficial.”
Her essay examines possible benefits that include:
- Increased communication.
- A patient-centered family care model.
- Infection control.
And an evaluation of common barriers including:
- Cost.
- Insurance.
- Patient push back.
Six students in the HCM program submitted essays
Six students in the program’s HCM Research Team, informally known as C-Suite Salukis, submitted essays for consideration, said Sandra Collins, a professor and health care management program director.
Dr. Sunil Sinha, vice president and chief medical officer of the BJC Medical Group and Donald Hutson, president and CEO of Harrisburg Medical Center, judged the blind reviewed essays. Sinha and Hutson are members of the health care management program’s advisory board.
First time SIU’s program has entered competition
Under contest guidelines, SIU could enter only one essay in the undergraduate division of the Stull competition, Collins said. Students picked their own topics with “gentle direction” from faculty advisers and ACHE guidelines, she said.
The five remaining essays will be reworked by those students and faculty advisers, which include Collins, Jessica Cataldo and Thomas Shaw. They will be submitted to health care management journals and conferences.
Cataldo is a clinical instructor and Shaw is an associate professor in the program.
Winner to be announced in early February
An average of 35 essays are submitted each year with the goal to narrow that to six or seven papers.
The six finalists will be invited to attend the Congress on Healthcare Leadership in March in Chicago. Awards will be presented Leon I. Gintzig Commemorative Lecture and Luncheon.
The winning essays are published in the ACHE’s Journal of Healthcare Management and the winner and program each receive cash awards. The second- and third-place finalists in each division also receive cash awards.
Competition recognizes ACHE president
The essay competition originated in 1989. The award honors Richard Stull, who was ACHE president from 1965-1978. The competition’s purpose is to “stimulate and demonstrate the ability of future healthcare executives to identify and describe important issues and developments in their chosen profession,” according to the organization.
