title: Telemedicine evaluation.
abstract: This paper examines the context and status of evaluation research in telemedicine, and it proposes a two-pronged strategy for addressing the critical policy and programmatic concerns in this field. It explains the evolution of evaluation research in the United States, and it describes a comprehensive typology and requirements for valid evaluation. Major impediments for definitive evaluation are discussed, together with a summary of major trends in empirical studies. Two concurrent strategies are proposed for producing definitive findings and for assessing the available empirical evidence. These consist of large-scale experimental studies and theoretical and empirical triangulation for assessing the available empirical evidence.
authors.affiliation: The University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0402, USA. bashshur@med.umich.edu
authors.forename: Rashid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bashshur
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shannon
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sapci
mesh_terms: D015984:Causality; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D036262:Empirical Research; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006291:Health Policy; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D012107:Research Design; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000379:methods*; D017216:Telemedicine; D014481:United States