Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Development of a Telemedicine Planning Framework Based on Needs Assessment

  • Systems-Level Quality Improvement
  • Published:
Journal of Medical Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Providing equitable access to healthcare services in rural and remote communities is an ongoing challenge that faces most governments. By increasing access to specialty expertise, telemedicine may be a potential solution to this problem. Regardless of its potential, many telemedicine initiatives do not progress beyond the research phase, and are not implemented into mainstream practice. One reason may be that some telemedicine services are developed without the appropriate planning to ascertain community needs and clinical requirements. The aim of this paper is to report the development of a planning framework for telemedicine services based on needs assessment. The presented framework is based on the key processes in needs assessment, Penchansky and Thomas’s dimensions of access, and Bradshaw’s types of need. This proposed planning framework consists of two phases. Phase one comprises data collection and needs assessment, and includes assessment of availability and expressed needs; accessibility; perception and affordability. Phase two involves prioritising the demand for health services, balanced against the known limitations of supply, and the implementation of an appropriate telemedicine service that reflects and meets the needs of the community. Using a structured framework for the planning of telemedicine services, based on need assessment, may help with the identification and prioritisation of community health needs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Smith, A.C., and Gray, L.C., Telemedicine across the ages. Med J Aust. 190(1):15–19, 2009.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Wang, T., and Zeng, R., Addressing inequalities in China's health service. Lancet. 386(10002):1441, 2015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Charlton, M., Schlichting, J., Chioreso, C., Ward, M., and Vikas, P., Challenges of Rural Cancer Care in the United States. Oncology (Williston Park). 29(9):633–640, 2015.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Wilson, N.W., Couper, I.D., De Vries, E., Reid, S., Fish, T., and Marais, B.J., A critical review of interventions to redress the inequitable distribution of healthcare professionals to rural and remote areas. Rural Remote Health. 9(2):1060, 2009.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Humphreys J, Wakerman J. Primary health care in rural and remote Australia: achieving equity of access and outcomes through national reform: A discussion paper. National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission.

  6. Alkmim, M.B., Figueira, R.M., Marcolino, M.S., and Cardoso, C.S., Pena de Abreu M, Cunha LR, et al. Improving patient access to specialized health care: the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Bull World Health Organ. 90(5):373–378, 2012.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Tanriverdi, H., and Iacono, C.S., Diffusion of telemedicine: a knowledge barrier perspective. Telemed J. 5(3):223–244, 1999.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Broens, T.H., Huis in't Veld RM, Vollenbroek-Hutten MM, Hermens HJ, van Halteren AT, Nieuwenhuis LJ. Determinants of successful telemedicine implementations: a literature study. J Telemed Telecare. 13(6):303–309, 2007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Zanaboni, P., and Wootton, R., Adoption of telemedicine: from pilot stage to routine delivery. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 12:1, 2012.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. van Dyk, L., A Review of Telehealth Service Implementation Frameworks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 11(2):1279–1298, 2014.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Armfield, N.R., Edirippulige, S.K., Bradford, N., and Smith, A.C., Telemedicine--is the cart being put before the horse? Med J Aust. 200(9):530–533, 2014.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Al-Qirim, N.A., Critical success factors for strategic telemedicine planning in New Zealand. Telemed J E Health. 11(5):600–607, 2005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Stevenson L, Ball S, Haverhals LM, Aron DC, Lowery J. Evaluation of a national telemedicine initiative in the Veterans Health Administration: Factors associated with successful implementation. J Telemed Telecare. 2016.

  14. Burgiss SG. Telehealth Technical Assistance Manual.: National Rural Health Association; 2006. Available from: http://199.237.254.34/pubs/pdf/Telehealth.pdf.

  15. AlDossary, S., Martin-Khan, M.G., Bradford, N.K., and Smith, A.C., A systematic review of the methodologies used to evaluate telemedicine service initiatives in hospital facilities. Int J Med Inform. 97:171–194, 2017.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Coiera, E., Recent Advances: Medical informatics. BMJ. 310(6991):1381–1387, 1995.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Thomas RK. Health services planning: Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers; 2003.

  18. The National Center for Health in Public Housing. Assessing The Health Care Needs Of Resident of Public Housing 2013. Available from: http://www.nchph.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/FinalNeedsAssessmentToolKit.pdf.

  19. Stevens, A., and Gillam, S., Needs assessment: from theory to practice. BMJ : British Medical Journal. 316(7142):1448–1452, 1998.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Wright, J., Williams, R., and Wilkinson, J.R., Development and importance of health needs assessment. BMJ : British Medical Journal. 316(7140):1310–1313, 1998.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Stevens A. Health Care Needs Assessment: The Epidemiologically Based Needs Assessment Reviews: Radcliffe; 2004.

  22. Wilkinson, J.R., and Murray, S.A., Assessment in primary care: practical issues and possible approaches. BMJ. 316(7143):1524–1528, 1998.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Eagar, K., Garrett, P., and Lin, V., Health planning: Australian perspectives. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, N.S.W, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Williams, R., and Wright, J., Epidemiological issues in health needs assessment. BMJ. 316(7141):1379–1382, 1998.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Asadi-Lari, M., Packham, C., and Gray, D., Need for redefining needs. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 1:34, 2003.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Carver, N.A., Ward, B.M., and Talbot, L.A., Using Bradshaw's taxonomy of needs: listening to women in planning pregnancy care. Contemp Nurse. 30(1):76–82, 2008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Bradshaw, J., A Taxonomy of Social Need. In: McLachlan, G. (Ed.), In Problems and Progress in Medical Care: essays on current research. Oxford university Press, London, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Robinson J, Elkan R. Health Needs Assessment: Theory and Practice: Churchill Livingstone; 1996.

  29. Asadi-Lari, M., Packham, C., and Gray, D., Need for redefining needs. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 1:34, 2003.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Doyal, L., and Gough, I., A theory of human need. Guilford Press, New York, 1991.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  31. Donaldson, C., and Mooney, G., Needs assessment, priority setting, and contracts for health care: an economic view. BMJ. 303(6816):1529–1530, 1991.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Mitton, C., and Donaldson, C., Health care priority setting: principles, practice and challenges. Cost effectiveness and resource allocation: C/E. 2:3, 2004.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Levesque, J.F., Harris, M.F., and Russell, G., Patient-centred access to health care: conceptualising access at the interface of health systems and populations. Int J Equity Health. 12:18, 2013.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Gold, M., Beyond coverage and supply: measuring access to healthcare in today's market. Health Services Research. 33(3 Pt 2):625–684, 1998.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Gulliford, M., Figueroa-Munoz, J., Morgan, M., Hughes, D., Gibson, B., Beech, R., et al., What does 'access to health care' mean? J Health Serv Res Policy. 7(3):186–188, 2002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Ricketts, T.C., and Goldsmith, L.J., Access in health services research: the battle of the frameworks. Nurs Outlook. 53(6):274–280, 2005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Clark, R., and Coffee, N., Why measuring accessibility is important for public health: a review from the Cardiac ARIA project. Public Health Bulletin of South Australia. 8(1):3–8, 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Penchansky, R., and Thomas, J.W., The concept of access: definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Med Care. 19(2):127–140, 1981.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. DeGaetano, N., and Shore, J., Conducting a Telehealth Needs Assessment. In: Tuerk, W.P., and Shore, P. (Eds.), Clinical Videoconferencing in Telehealth: Program Development and Practice. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 23–54, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Apparicio, P., Abdelmajid, M., Riva, M., and Shearmur, R., Comparing alternative approaches to measuring the geographical accessibility of urban health services: Distance types and aggregation-error issues. International Journal of Health Geographics. 7:7, 2008.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  41. Hu, R., Dong, S., Zhao, Y., Hu, H., and Li, Z., Assessing potential spatial accessibility of health services in rural China: a case study of Donghai County. Int J Equity Health. 12:35, 2013.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Paez, A., Mercado, R.G., Farber, S., Morency, C., and Roorda, M., Accessibility to health care facilities in Montreal Island: an application of relative accessibility indicators from the perspective of senior and non-senior residents. International Journal of Health Geographics. 9:52, 2010.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. Soares, N.S., Johnson, A.O., and Patidar, N., Geomapping telehealth access to developmental-behavioral pediatrics. Telemed J E Health. 19(8):585–590, 2013.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Coffee, N., Turner, D., Clark, R.A., Eckert, K., Coombe, D., Hugo, G., et al., Measuring national accessibility to cardiac services using geographic information systems. Applied Geography. 34:445–455, 2012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. McLafferty, S.L., GIS and health care. Annu Rev Public Health. 24:25–42, 2003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Scotch, M., Parmanto, B., Gadd, C.S., and Sharma, R.K., Exploring the role of GIS during community health assessment problem solving: experiences of public health professionals. Int J Health Geogr. 5:39, 2006.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  47. Curry, L.A., Nembhard, I.M., and Bradley, E.H., Qualitative and mixed methods provide unique contributions to outcomes research. Circulation. 119(10):1442–1452, 2009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Bowling, A., Research methods in health: investigating health and health services. Open University Press, New York;Maidenhead, England, 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Sleezer, C.M., Russ-Eft, D., and Gupta, K., A practical guide to needs assessment. Wiley, San Francisco, 2014.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  50. Panacek, E.A., Survey-based research: performing the survey. Air Med J. 27(2):64–66, 2008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Panacek, E.A., Survey-based research: general principles. Air Med J. 27(1):14–16, 2008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Jordan, J., Dowswell, T., Harrison, S., Lilford, R.J., and Mort, M., Health needs assessment. Whose priorities? Listening to users and the public. BMJ. 316(7145):1668–1670, 1998.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Online Health, The University of Queensland, Ground Floor, Building 33, Princess Alexandra Hospital Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD, 4102, Australia

    Sharifah AlDossary, Melinda G. Martin-Khan & Anthony C. Smith

  2. King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Sharifah AlDossary

  3. Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Melinda G. Martin-Khan

  4. Queensland Youth Cancer Service, Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Australia

    Natalie K. Bradford

  5. School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Nigel R. Armfield

Authors
  1. Sharifah AlDossary
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Melinda G. Martin-Khan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Natalie K. Bradford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nigel R. Armfield
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Anthony C. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sharifah AlDossary.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Systems-Level Quality Improvement

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

AlDossary, S., Martin-Khan, M.G., Bradford, N.K. et al. The Development of a Telemedicine Planning Framework Based on Needs Assessment. J Med Syst 41, 74 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-017-0709-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-017-0709-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation