Delivering health care in rural Cambodia via store-and-forward telemedicine: a pilot study.
Since 2001, a monthly telemedicine clinic has helped provide health care to residents in a remote region in Cambodia. Physicians at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and Sihanouk Hospital of HOPE in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, provide consultations via e-mail to a mobile nurse in the district of Rovieng, Cambodia. We describe the operations of the monthly clinic and report the results of a retrospective case review of the first 28 months of consultations. We also report the results of a satisfaction and willingness to pay survey. A total of 264 visits were made during the 28 monthly sessions. Mean duration of chief complaint at initial visit declined from 37 months to 8 months during the first and last 6 months of the study period, respectively. Thirty-six percent (n = 76) of new patients complained of abdominal pain. Nine percent (n = 20) of new patients were given an empiric diagnosis of goiter. The percent of patients requiring referral to a hospital outside of the village decreased over time. All patients surveyed were either "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with their care, and most patients were willing to pay for a visit, with a median amount of USD 0.63. We conclude that store-and-forward e-mail consultative support for mobile nonphysician health care workers is a feasible model for delivering care in the developing world. Further research is needed to demonstrate improvement in health status, cost effectiveness, and sustainability.
Brandling-Bennett
Heather A
HA
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Kedar
Iris
I
Pallin
Daniel J
DJ
Jacques
Gary
G
Gumley
Graham J
GJ
Kvedar
Joseph C
JC
D002160:Cambodia; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005382:Financing, Personal; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics