ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To offer a systematic review of the body of literature in the emerging field of telemedicine in the management of acute-phase injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a literature review. RESULTS: Telemedicine has only recently been applied to the specialties of trauma, emergency care, and surgery. The potential benefits of telemedicine include a decrease in travel expenses, enhanced continuity of care, and increased access to specialized consultants in medically underserved and rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: There still exist barriers to the use of teletechnologies in medicine that limit their wider adoption. Poor infrastructure, limited equipment availability, and insufficient access to training and education for medical personnel have prevented wider use.
Subject(s)
Practice Patterns, Physicians' , Telemedicine/organization & administration , Wounds and Injuries/prevention & control , Acute Disease , Continuity of Patient Care , Hospital Information Systems , Humans , Prognosis , Telemedicine/methods , United StatesABSTRACT
This paper gives an overview of core factors mitigating effective transfer of TeleMedicine to Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as a capability for improving the extremely poor state of healthcare delivery systems in that region of the world. Using specific examples of TeleMedicine applications, such as in TeleRadiology and health education, the paper highlights the importance of TeleMedicine in SSA. It then presents the salient factors that influence TeleMedicine technology transfer in the form of a conceptual framework. In explaining the framework, the paper offers opinions and supportive arguments on the importance and significance of the identified factors in effective TeleMedicine "uptake" within the SSA. We believe the framework provides a grounded theoretical basis that information and communications technologies (ICT) or technology transfer researchers can use for empirical investigation in order to understand the efficacy of TeleMedicine adoption within developing countries at large.
ABSTRACT
Telemedicine is the use of communication networks to exchange medical information for providing healthcare services and medical education from one site to another. The application of telemedicine is more promising in economically developing countries with agrarian societies. The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) identifies three healthcare services: clinical medical services, health and medical education, and consumer health information. However, it is not clear how these services can be adopted by different sectors: public and private. This paper looks at four Indian case studies, two each in public and private sectors to understand two research questions: Are there differences in telemedicine adoption between public and private hospitals. If there are differences: What are the differences in telemedicine adoption between public and private sectors? Authors have used the extant literature in telemedicine and healthcare to frame theoretical background, describe the research setting, present the case studies, and provide discussion and conclusions about their findings. Authors believe that as India continues to develop its telemedicine infrastructures, especially with continued government support through subsidies to private telemedicine initiatives, its upward trend in healthcare will continue. This is expected to put India on the path to increase its life expectancy rates, especially for it rural community which constitute over 70% of its populace.
Subject(s)
Private Sector/organization & administration , Public Sector/organization & administration , Telemedicine/organization & administration , Delivery of Health Care/organization & administration , Diffusion of Innovation , Humans , India , Organizational Case StudiesABSTRACT
Telemedicine (health-care delivery where physicians examine distant patients using telecommunications technologies) has been heralded as one of several possible solutions to some of the medical dilemmas that face many developing countries. In this study, we examine the current state of telemedicine in a developing country, India. Telemedicine has brought a plethora of benefits to the populace of India, especially those living in rural and remote areas (constituting about 70% of India's population). We discuss three Indian telemedicine implementation cases, consolidate lessons learned from the cases, and culminate with potential researchable critical success factors that account for the growth and modest successes of telemedicine in India.
