Narrative as a Means of Understanding the Multi-Dimensional Benefits of Telehealth: An Exploration of Telehealth Stories

Telehealth is a wide range of health services delivered across distance through technology. In this technology-supported health world, sometimes, the client and his or her family can get lost as clinical consultations are counted for reporting purposes and new technologies are implemented. As a response to this situation and building on the increasing importance that narrative has assumed in health, this paper describes a practice-based education initiative called the Storyboard Project. Importantly, the term storyboard is used here in a literal sense as a place where stories are posted; it does not refer to the crafting or designing of a story for a focused purpose. Through the stories of patients, families, and telehealth professionals considered in this paper, the reader is reminded that people--rather than technology--are the heart of the telehealth experience. Additionally, health practitioners, educators, and policy makers may experience these narratives as statements of the multi-dimensional benefits of telehealth. These benefits include not only physical benefits but also emotional, psychological, and familial benefits. Special appreciation is expressed to the story tellers who agreed to share their experiences through the Storyboard Project and in this paper.