Towards a methodology for developing and implementing best practices in telehealth and telemedicine.
One objective of the growing telehealth and telemedicine literature base is to inform potential adopters and raise their awareness through pilot projects. However, pilot studies often fail to create sustainable solutions because certain conditions are needed for long term success: (1) matching needs to appropriate solutions: while needs assessment can identify needs, adopters must view, test, and experience potential solutions under a number of circumstances; (2) change and new technology: technological implementation brings both foreseen and unforeseen changes, difficult to forecast, and pilot projects can create artificial expectations; (3) awareness of context: there has been a pervasive tendency to treat telemedicine or telehealth as separate from the context of health care delivery, but telemedicine is only a communication and information tool, and should not be considered as separate from other health care delivery activities; (4) availability of long term funding; while loans, government grants and private sector partnering can bridge gaps temporarily, sustainable solutions require that savings from existing systems can be applied to pay for telehealth and telemedicine installations. This paper makes a case for adopting best practices by proposing that a data base of case studies documenting best practices and success factors be developed and made widely available.
Picot
J
J
Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Verdun, Quebec, Canada. jpicot@istar.ca
D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical; D017216:Telemedicine