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Evaluating telemedicine: A focus on patient pathways

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2006

Jane Coughlan ,
Julie Eatock  and
Tillal Eldabi
Jane Coughlan
Affiliation:
Brunel University
Julie Eatock
Affiliation:
Brunel University
Tillal Eldabi
Affiliation:
Brunel University
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Abstract

Evaluations of telemedicine have sought to assess various measures of effectiveness (e.g., diagnostic accuracy), efficiency (e.g., cost), and engagement (e.g., patient satisfaction) to determine its success. Few studies, however, have looked at evaluating the organizational impact of telemedicine, which involves technology and process changes that affect the way that it is used and accepted by patients and clinicians alike. This study reviews and discusses the conceptual issues in telemedicine research and proposes a fresh approach for evaluating telemedicine. First, we advance a patient pathway perspective, as most of the existing studies view telemedicine as a support to a singular rather than multiple aspects of a health care process. Second, to conceptualize patient pathways and understand how telemedicine impacts upon them, we propose simulation as a tool to enhance understanding of the traditional and telemedicine patient pathway.

Keywords

Clinical pathwaysComputer simulationEvaluationTelemedicinePatients
Type
GENERAL ESSAYS
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , January 2006 , pp. 136 - 142
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press

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