Feasibility of Telemedicine Deployment in Major Public Hospitals: A Case Study in Yazd

Background: Health care organizations are faced with a new technology calledtelemedicine which provides a platform for remote cooperation, training, andconsulting. Telemedicine is the use of information technology for clinical care ofpatients. This study aimed to establish the feasibility of telemedicine in twoeducational hospitals of Yazd.Methods: This cross - sectional study was conducted in 2014. Census and randomsampling were applied to recruit 200 out of 722 clinical and administrative staffs ofboth hospitals. Data were then collected through a standardized three-partquestionnaire entitled telemedicine measurement tools . The first two parts of theinstrument were in the form of checklist that evaluated the infrastructure,administrative culture, and education dimensions. Questionnaires were distributedamong hospitals managers and IT staffs. The third part of the questionnaire was ina five-item Likert questionnaire format that evaluated staff preparation and alsoany obstacles to the deployment of telemedicine from the employees perspectives.Data were analyzed through SPSS18 software and by using descriptive statistics,frequency, and percentage.Results: Providing raining and providing care were selected as the bestapplications in telemedicine by respectively 82.4% and 76.2% of respondents.Additionally, lack of technical staff and insufficient bandwidth in telemedicinewere reported by respectively 85.4% and 77.8% of participants as the biggestbarriers for use of telemedicine. Distance learning and remote monitoring wereexperienced by 14.5% and 10% of employees, respectively. There was no strategicplan and support for the use of telemedicine in the two hospitals. Employees hadthe necessary knowledge on the benefits of telemedicine, as well as barriers to itsdeployment. Technical infrastructure required for the deployment of telemedicineat the two hospitals was not available.Conclusion: For the deployment of telemedicine, the two hospitals should investin technical infrastructure and administrative culture. Also, the preparation of thetwo hospitals staffs is the reliable implementation of this plan.