Authors' objectives:

This report is an update of a systematic review on the assessment of telemedicine applications carried out in 1999. It is intended to provide a further overview of the available evidence on the efficacy, effectiveness and economic impact of telemedicine applications, as a guide to decision makers in health care.

Authors' recommendations: 19 of the 38 identified studies concluded that telemedicine had advantages over the alternative approach, 16 also drew attention to some negative aspects, or were unclear whether telemedicine had advantages, and three found that the alternative approach had advantages over telemedicine. For several applications, savings and sometimes clinical benefit were obtained through avoidance of travel and associated delays. The home care studies showed convincing evidence of benefit, while those of teledermatology indicated that there were cost disadvantages to health care providers, though not to patients. 23 of the studies appeared to have potential to influence future decisions on the telemedicine application under consideration. However, a number of these had methodological limitations. The overall fndings are similar to those of a previous review. Useful data are emerging on some telemedicine applications, but good quality studies are still scarce and generalisability of most assessment findings may be limited.

Authors' methods: Systematic review

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2001

URL for published report: https://www.ihe.ca/advanced-search?type=1020

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Canada

Organisation Name: Institute of Health Economics

Contact Address: 1200, 10405 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5J 3N4. Tel: +1 780 448 4881; Fax: +1 780 448 0018;

Contact Name: djuzwishin@ihe.ca

Contact Email: djuzwishin@ihe.ca

Copyright: <p>Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research</p>