Telemedicine Case Study Example

Abstract

Telemedicine is the video, audio and electronic information processing and telecommunication technology used to provide assists health care and services at distant sites. Several countries have successfully implemented telemedicine. With the new development in computing and technology, some countries are facing challenges in implementing telemedicine. This research focuses on Tele Mondo health organization located in Maldives. Considering the interviews conducted and feedback collected from the natives, there are various factors that hinder the implementation of telemedicine in Maldives. However, there are success factors that would help implement telemedicine in Tele Mondo health care organization. They include; creating awareness, seeking political support, using standardized project management practices, proper financial support and support from the government. SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, opportunity and Time) analysis can be used alongside standardized practices that to ensure a successful telemedicine and tele-health implementation in Tele Mondo healthcare. They include; conducting market assessment, implementation timeline, conduct self-assessment, train health providers, seek administrative support, start simple and adopt an integrated telemedicine with tele-health and other systems supporting the same.
Keywords: Tele-health, Telemedicine project, SWOT analysis, integrated telemedicine, health providers and standardized practices.

Introduction

Tele Mondo health organization is a referral health facility that are ready and willing to adopt telemedicine and tele-health to provide better health services (Hojabri et al., 2012). Failure of implementing telemedicine in Tele Mondo was based on various factors such as financial problems, lack of network infrastructure, lack of qualified personnel to handle new technological facilities, people’s doubt, lack of government support and political good will (Hojabri et al., 2012). These factors have been analyzed using primary data collected from literature review and interviews conducted within Maldives. Based on the theoretical framework employed in this research, the main outcomes from the findings were used to form main objectives and aims of this telemedicine project and technology.

Aims and Objectives

The main aim of this research is to design and implement a new telemedicine in Tele Mondo health organization using standardized practices and SWOT analysis, to understand the need of the people and inform them of the new system, to integrate telemedicine with tele-health and other technological tools in order to provide a quality health care (McMahon, 2001). E-health can also be adopted once telemedicine is successfully implemented. Another objective is to conduct an interview in order to get people’s feedback regarding telemedicine and to describe the phases that need to be undertaken for a full telemedicine implementation.

Telemedicine and tele-health

Tele-health is defined as the delivery of information through telecommunications and health related services. It is a development of telemedicine (McMahon, 2001). It encompasses protective, preventive and curative aspects unlike telemedicine that focuses mainly on curative aspect. In this regard, both tele-health and telemedicine and be implemented as one entity. Both tele-health and telemedicine are implemented at the same time but in different phases.

Telemedicine and tele-health Implementation

Pediatric telemedicine is initiated because of the urgency of the service to cardiac patients followed by tele-health that can be accessed by patients across the internet or on their mobile phones. A database is established to help store patient data and information collected by Tele Mondo health providers . The health facility supports over twenty thousand per month and this necessitates the need for these new facilities. In the implementation, four phase that were used:
Phase one entailed clearing a room to create space for video configurations with T-1 connections. The tele-pathology is taken through a rigorous evaluation before it is developed and the system is configured to communicate to each other where twenty machines are interconnected. At this phase, the system can be accepted or rejected by pathologists or patients.
Phase two is where telemedicine transmit data using ISDN to seven other hospitals around Maldives. Video quality is evaluated with transmission speed determined and enhanced to ensure no delay is recorded (Kodukula et al, 2011). Departments such as gynecology, obstetrics, nephrology, surgery and pathology are properly checked and tests are conducted.
Phase three is where the problems encountered during testing is re-evaluated and corrected before final design is made. The network is expanded in case there are a large number of connections reported or to allow for that possibility (Kodukula et al, 2011).

Phase four is the final design and implementation stage where the system is set up.

Research Approach
With the design and implementation of telemedicine, fully implementing tele-health posed challenges. Using the secondary data, we found out that certain factors were hindrance to the implementation of tele-health (McMahon, 2001). These were; cultural factors, data collection from rural areas were not very successful making the findings inaccurate. However, the target group was established and they include; clinical group, manager/policymaker group, end-user/people group and support staff/technical group. In this research, sampling methodology using case studies conducted before was the major source. The figure 4.0.1 below shows the sampling process that was adopted in this research paper suing semi-structured interviews.

Research Findings

Using the semi-structured interviews conducted, the feedback was analyzed and transcribed with audio and video recordings. After the data had been cleaned, the entire finding culminated to our expectations with remedies already offered to aid in the implementation of both telemedicine and tele-health (McMahon, 2001). SWOT analysis was also used during the study to check and evaluate the findings in order to come up with proper recommendation and conclusion. The following figure 5.0.1 shows the findings in a TEO model framework.
Figure 5.0.1 Results of the finding using TEO model

Recommendation and Conclusion

Using the findings, standardized project practices needs to be made know to stake holders in order to make the transition easier and faster. It will contribute to time saving of the entire project implementations. Cost benefit analysis should be conducted to estimate the total expenses and calculate benefits from the project after a given period of time. Using SWOT analysis, the system can be updated or upgraded following the increased dependency or with the introduction of new technological tools. Immediately telemedicine design is completed, consistent monitoring needs to be employed in order to improve the quality service.

References

Hojabri, R., Borousan, E., Manafi, M. (2012). Impact of using telemedicine on knowledge management in healthcare organizations: A case study. Available at: < http://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1380713327_Hojabri et al.pdf >
Kodukula, S., Nazvia, M. (2011). Evaluation of Critical Success Factors for Telemedicine Implementation. Available at: < http://www.who.int/goe/policies/countries/mdv_support_tele.pdf >
McMahon, F. (2001). Telehealth Projects: A Practical Guide. Available at: < http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/cpa/publications/practicalguide.pdf >