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- Title
A BASELINE STUDY OF THE FACTORS THAT SHOULD BE USED TO MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TELEMEDICINE.
- Authors
Choudhury, Askar H.; Fisher, Dennis G.; Pearce, Frederick W.; Fenaughty, Andrea M.
- Abstract
Alaska is an expansive and complex geographic area with many rural communities of small villages and few towns in remote locations. In addition, inadequate healthcare facilities in these locations makes health care management a challenging task in the state of Alaska. Therefore, it is important to find an effective alternative, such as telemedicine, for delivering health care in remote regions of rural Alaska. The objective of this paper is to create a baseline result from the pre-telemedicine data that is important in measuring telemedicine effectiveness after its implementation. In this paper, we focus on data gathered before implementation of the telemedicine to identify factors significant to patients' satisfaction. Four different regions: Maniilaq, Norton Sound, Yukon Kuskokwim, and Bristol Bay Area are selected for the implementation of telemedicine. Regression analysis is used for identifying factors that are important to patients' satisfaction. Regression models are estimated separately for each region, and a separate model is used for all regions combined. The most important factor revealed from the analysis in terms of magnitude and statistical significance is "the perceived level of prescribed treatment" across all regions. The "amount of time that health care provider spent with the patient" is also emerged as an important factor. Another important factor is the "ability to communicate". All these factors are found statistically significant regardless of the geographic region considered in this paper. Therefore, these important factors may be used for the post-telemedicine effectiveness measure.
- Subjects
ALASKA; RURAL development; CITIES &; towns; MEDICAL care; HEALTH services administration; TELEMEDICINE; PATIENT satisfaction
- Publication
Academy of Health Care Management Journal, 2008, Vol 4, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
1559-7628
- Publication type
Article