Directions:

Using the "Telehealth Template," write a 750-1,000 word paper on a telehealth technology that can be used in your current practice. The paper will include a precis, mind map (provided as the Appendix), discussion of the mind map, and conclusion, according to the following:

Introduction

Provide an introduction that is succinct and includes a thesis or main idea. The essence of the paper should be contained within the thesis, and the thesis statement should make the purpose of the paper clear. You may also use the introduction to provide an overview of the organization of the paper and establish the purpose for each section.

Precis

Donald Davidson, in his book, American Composition and Rhetoric, discusses the precis as follows:

"A precis is not an outline, but a summary or digest. It is useful as an exercise in grasping the essential ideas of an already completed composition and instating these ideas in concentrated form. The precis shears away all elaborations of the thought and gives only what is left, in such a way as to make the summary a complete composition.

It does not, therefore, skeletonize the original composition so much as it reduces its scale. Many of the articles in the Reader's Digest are only precis, so skillfully done that the average reader does not know that he is reading a summary. Since the precis says a great deal within a brief space, it is of great service in taking notes on library assignments and general reading."

The precis should be an organization of ideas (including logical sequencing of points), contain clear and meaningful expression, and use language suitable to the situation. Your precis section should only cite the article you are reviewing. When finished, the precis section should summarize a single scholarly article on the topic of telehealth and should be four statements long:

1. A statement of what was studied (i.e., argued, discussed, deliberated).

2. A statement of focus of the current scholarly article selected (i.e., how it was organized and completed).

3. A statement of what information was identified or learned from the scholarly article.

4. A statement of why the information in the article is important to your field of study.

Mind Map

Brainstorm to generate ideas about how the identified telehealth technology can be used in your current practice using a mind map. Include the final mind map as the Appendix at the end of the paper.

Create your mind map according to the following:

1. Take a sheet of paper and write an identifiable main idea in the center of the page, using only one to three words. (You may also achieve this via an electronic sheet of paper.)

2. Draw a branch off your main idea. On the branch, write or draw a main topic related to your main idea.

3. Continue to branch off from your main idea with main topics as needed.

4. From your main topics, branch off with subtopics.

5. From your subtopics, branch off with supporting details (write or draw). Continue to add more details. You are free to add more topics, subtopics, or any other items.

6. When you stand back and survey your work, you should see a sort of map: hence the name for this activity. At this point, you can start to form conclusions about how to approach a potential area of practice change. At the end of the day, what you do with the particular map, cluster set, or web that you have produced depends on what you need.

7. If you create your mind map on physical paper, you may scan it in as an image and insert the image into your document. If you create the mind map electronically, you may either convert the electronic map to an image or use the snipping tool. Usually you can find this tool by searching in the start menu.

Mind Map Discussion

In this section, discuss the mind map based on the scholarly article reviewed in the precis. In your discussion of the mind map:

1. Include a critical evaluation of ideas and connections related to the topics and subtopics, as well as how this information could be used in practice.

2. Include support from two additional scholarly sources (i.e., primary sources published within the last 5 years).

3. Provide citations in text for all sources used and accompanying references in the References section. In addition, refer to the mind map in the appendix and cite it properly in text.

Conclusion

In the conclusion, provide a summary of ideas and support the main claim of the paper. Be sure to summarize key points rather than restating the material.