Chapters in Books (Industrial Engineering)

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Clinical-pull approach to telemedicine implementation policies using health informatics in the developing world
(IGI Global, 2012-04) Treurnicht, Maria J.; Van Dyk, Liezl
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Telemedicine could effectively aid hospital referral systems in bringing specialized care to rural communities. South Africa has identified telemedicine as part of its primary health care strategic plan, but similar to many other developing countries, the successful implementation of telemedicine programs is a daunting challenge. One of the contributing factors is the insufficient evidence that telemedicine is a cost-effective alternative. Furthermore, many telemedicine services are implemented without a thorough needs assessment. Throughout this chapter, the authors investigate the use of medical informatics in quantitative telemedicine needs assessments. A framework is introduced to direct implementation policies towards a proven clinical need rather than pushing technology into practise. This clinical-pull strategy aims to reduce the amount of failed projects, by providing decision support to implement appropriate technologies that have the potential to contribute towards better quality healthcare.