Assessing technological barriers to telemedicine:technology-management implications
Paul, D.L.; Pearlson, K.E.; McDaniel, R.R., Jr.
Engineering Management, IEEE Transactions on
Volume 46, Issue 3, Aug 1999 Page(s):279 - 288
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/17.775280
Summary:Telemedicine, the use of information technology to deliver health
care from one location to another, has the potential to increase the
quality and access to health care and to lower costs. This growth of
telemedicine installations is occurring even as the utilization rates
for installed telemedicine projects are falling well below expectations.
Drawing on data collected from three operational telemedicine projects
involving different clinical telemedicine applications, we examine how
the technological barriers to telemedicine are impacting telemedicine
utilization rates. Addressing technological barriers is a necessary but
not sufficient condition if telemedicine is to fulfil its promise, and
it is predominantly only after such barriers are addressed that the
other barriers-professional, legal, and financial-come to the fore. Our
findings support end-user and technical training as major barriers but
do not support the quality of the video, system reliability, or the
perceived inconvenience for physicians to use the equipment as barriers
to telemedicine. The mismatch between the sophistication of the
technology and end-user requirements for clinical activities and patient
confidentiality and privacy issues were supported as barriers, but how
they impacted telemedicine utilization was different than expected.
Finally, unsatisfactory sound quality of the telemedicine equipment was
identified as a frequent and unexpected barrier to telemedicine
utilization rates
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