Telemedicine: What have we learned?

As the health care industry is facing many challenges and is undergoing extensive change, telemedicine is in the position to address these challenges and be an important part of health care's development. Telemedicine has been used for approximately a half century, in which researchers have explored the different technologies utilized, clinical outcomes, cost benefits, perceptions, and adoption challenges of its use. This paper reviews and summarizes these findings and presents possible future research endeavors. Examining what is known about telemedicine can aid in the development of innovative, sustainable and beneficial health technologies that could positively impact health care delivery and outcomes.

[1]  E. Årsand,et al.  Diabetes education via mobile text messaging , 2006, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[2]  Jae-Hyoung Cho,et al.  Mobile communication using a mobile phone with a glucometer for glucose control in Type 2 patients with diabetes: as effective as an Internet-based glucose monitoring system , 2009, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[3]  R. Raman,et al.  Patient satisfaction levels during teleophthalmology consultation in rural South India. , 2006, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[4]  M. Field,et al.  Telemedicine and remote patient monitoring. , 2002, JAMA.

[5]  K. Mäkelä,et al.  Mobile digital fundus screening of type 2 diabetes patients in the Finnish county of South-Ostrobothnia , 2009, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[6]  L. Favero,et al.  Communication through telemedicine: home teleassistance in orthodontics. , 2009, European journal of paediatric dentistry.

[7]  S. Levine,et al.  "Telestroke" : the application of telemedicine for stroke. , 1999, Stroke.

[8]  R. Steinbrook,et al.  The age of teleradiology. , 2007, The New England journal of medicine.

[9]  Carl May,et al.  Perceptions of risk as a barrier to the use of telemedicine , 2007 .

[10]  Marie-Pierre Gagnon,et al.  A systematic review of the key indicators for assessing telehomecare cost-effectiveness. , 2008, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[11]  F S Mair,et al.  Patient and provider perspectives on home telecare: Preliminary results from a randomized controlled trial , 2005, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[12]  A Diaz-Cardama,et al.  Mobile phone text messaging in the management of diabetes , 2004, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[13]  M McSweeney,et al.  Assessing elderly patients with congestive heart failure via in-home interactive telecommunication. , 2001, Journal of gerontological nursing.

[14]  J H Sanders,et al.  Telemedicine: Where It Is and Where It's Going , 1998, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[15]  Pamela Whitten,et al.  St. Vincent's Home telehealth for congestive heart failure patients. , 2009, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[16]  A. Boyle,et al.  Trial design of the clinical evaluation of remote notification to reduce time to clinical decision: the Clinical evaluation Of remote NotificatioN to rEduCe Time to clinical decision (CONNECT) study. , 2008, American heart journal.

[17]  L. Tarassenko,et al.  A real-time, mobile phone-based telemedicine system to support young adults with type 1 diabetes. , 2005, Informatics in primary care.

[18]  Eirik Årsand,et al.  Parent-Child Interaction Using a Mobile and Wireless System for Blood Glucose Monitoring , 2005, Journal of medical Internet research.

[19]  Chad G Ball,et al.  User's perceptions of remote trauma telesonography , 2009, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[20]  A. Burdick,et al.  Teledermatology: extending specialty care beyond borders. , 2007, Archives of dermatology.

[21]  K. McLendon.  E-commerce and HIM: ready or not, here it comes. , 2000, Journal of AHIMA.

[22]  P. Lehoux,et al.  A systematic review of clinical outcomes, clinical process, healthcare utilization and costs associated with telerehabilitation , 2009, Disability and rehabilitation.

[23]  D. Heaney,et al.  The introduction of a new consulting technology into the National Health Service (NHS) for Scotland. , 2009, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[24]  E. Balas,et al.  Healthcare via cell phones: a systematic review. , 2009, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[25]  G. Kim.  Telemedicine for Pediatric Critical Care Consultation , 2009 .

[26]  Anthony C. Smith,et al.  Telemedicine: challenges and opportunities , 2007, Expert review of medical devices.

[27]  Yeojin Kim,et al.  Expanding SNS Features with CE Devices: Space, Profile, Communication , 2009, HCI.

[28]  Telehealth in New Zealand: Current practice and future prospects , 2004, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[29]  J. Craig,et al.  Introduction to the Practice of Telemedicine , 2005, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[30]  Lorraine R. Buis,et al.  Use of telemedicine for haemodialysis: perceptions of patients and health-care providers, and clinical effects , 2008, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[31]  E. Nelson,et al.  Feasibility of telemedicine intervention for childhood depression , 2006 .

[32]  Glenn E. Smith,et al.  Telehealth Home Monitoring of Solitary Persons With Mild Dementia , 2007 .

[33]  K. Lovell,et al.  Telephone administered cognitive behaviour therapy for treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder: randomised controlled non-inferiority trial , 2006, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[34]  Pamela Whitten,et al.  Provider utilization of telemedicine: the elephant in the room. , 2008, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[35]  S. Håkansson,et al.  What do we really know about the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine? , 2000, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[36]  Pamela Whitten,et al.  Keys to a successful and sustainable telemedicine program , 2010, International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care.

[37]  P. Whitten,et al.  Addressing telehealth's foremost barrier: Provider as initial gatekeeper , 2005, International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care.

[38]  P. Whitten,et al.  Home telecare for COPD/CHF patients: outcomes and perceptions , 2007, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[39]  Pamela Whitten,et al.  Private payer reimbursement for telemedicine services in the United States. , 2007, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[40]  P. Whitten,et al.  E-Health, telehealth, and telemedicine : a guide to start-up and success , 2001 .

[41]  J. Hartshorn,et al.  A Comparison of Epilepsy Patients in a Traditional Ambulatory Clinic and a Telemedicine Clinic , 2005, Epilepsia.

[42]  Minho Shin,et al.  Challenges in Data Quality Assurance in Pervasive Health Monitoring Systems , 2009 .

[43]  M. F. Cabrera,et al.  Randomized clinical trial of telepsychiatry through videoconference versus face-to-face conventional psychiatric treatment. , 2006, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[44]  R. D'Souza.  Telemedicine for intensive support of psychiatric inpatients admitted to local hospitals , 2000, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[45]  Pamela Whitten,et al.  Managing asthma with mobile phones: a feasibility study. , 2009, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[46]  C. Wittson,et al.  Two-way television in group therapy. , 1961, Mental hospitals.

[47]  Donald M Hilty,et al.  Models of telepsychiatric consultation--liaison service to rural primary care. , 2006, Psychosomatics.

[48]  Pamela Whitten,et al.  Telehospice: Using Telecommunication Technology for Terminally Ill Patients , 2006, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[49]  Susan Halford,et al.  Placing Globalizing Technologies: Telemedicine and the Making of Difference , 2009 .

[50]  Guy Paré,et al.  Review Paper: Systematic Review of Home Telemonitoring for Chronic Diseases: The Evidence Base , 2007, J. Am. Medical Informatics Assoc..

[51]  Arto Ohinmaa,et al.  The Effectiveness of Telemental Health Applications: A Review , 2008, Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie.

[52]  Hong Gu,et al.  A review of telemedicine in China , 2009, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[53]  R. Scott,et al.  Policy implications associated with the socioeconomic and health system impact of telehealth: a case study from Canada. , 2004, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[54]  Pamela Whitten,et al.  "Most Wired Hospitals" rate patient satisfaction , 2008, CACM.

[55]  Mario Cappelli,et al.  Mental health services for children and youth: a survey of physicians' knowledge, attitudes and use of telehealth services , 2008, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[56]  Cheryl Duke,et al.  The Frail Elderly Community-Based Case Management Project. , 2005, Geriatric nursing.

[57]  Patrali Chatterjee,et al.  Commercial Scenarios for the Web: Opportunities and Challenges , 1997, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[58]  Stephen M Downs,et al.  The HealthPia GlucoPack Diabetes phone: a usability study. , 2007, Diabetes technology & therapeutics.

[59]  K. Myers,et al.  Child and adolescent telepsychiatry: utilization and satisfaction. , 2008, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[60]  Shariq Khoja,et al.  A systematic review of the use of telehealth in Asian countries , 2009, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[61]  Thierry Moulin,et al.  Barriers, Legal Issues, Limitations and Ongoing Questions in Telemedicine Applied to Stroke , 2009, Cerebrovascular Diseases.

[62]  J. Benger,et al.  The safety and effectiveness of minor injuries telemedicine. , 2004, Emergency medicine journal : EMJ.

[63]  Michael T French,et al.  Economic evaluation of telemedicine: review of the literature and research guidelines for benefit-cost analysis. , 2009, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[64]  Gábor Harsányi,et al.  Sensors in biomedical applications. May they change the quality of life , 2001 .

[65]  P. Varkey,et al.  Telemedicine in the work site: a study of feasibility, and patient and provider satisfaction , 2008, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[66]  S. Walters,et al.  General practitioners' perceptions of asynchronous telemedicine in a randomized controlled trial of teledermatology , 2004, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[67]  T. L. Williams,et al.  Systematic review of cost effectiveness studies of telemedicine interventions , 2002, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[68]  S. Mishra,et al.  Post-operative care through tele-follow up visits in patients undergoing thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy in a resource-constrained environment , 2009, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[69]  K. Mossberger,et al.  Policy determinants affect telehealth implementation. , 2007, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[70]  J. DelliFraine,et al.  Home-based telehealth: a review and meta-analysis , 2008, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.