Jennett Penny, Jackson Andora, Healy Theresa, Ho Kendall, Kazanjian Arminee, Woollard Robert, Haydt Susan, Bates Joanna
Health Telematics Unit, University of Calgary, Canada.
J Telemed Telecare. 2003;9(5):259-63. doi: 10.1258/135763303769211265.
A qualitative approach was used to explore the readiness of a rural community for the implementation of telehealth services. There were four domains of interest: patient, practitioner, public and organization. Sixteen semistructured telephone interviews (three to five in each domain) were carried out with key informants and recorded on audio-tape. Two community awareness sessions were held, which were followed by five audio-taped focus groups (with five to eight people in each) in the practitioner, patient and public domains. In addition, two in-depth interviews were conducted with community physicians. Analysis of the data suggested that there were four types of community readiness: core, engagement, structural and non-readiness. The level of readiness varied across domains. There were six main themes: core readiness; structural readiness; projection of benefits; assessment of risk; awareness and education; and intra-group and inter-group dynamics. The results of the study can be used to investigate the readiness of rural and remote communities for telehealth, which should improve the chance of successful implementation.
采用定性研究方法，探究农村社区对实施远程医疗服务的准备情况。研究关注四个领域：患者、从业者、公众和组织。对关键信息提供者进行了16次半结构化电话访谈（每个领域3至5次），并录音。举办了两次社区宣传活动，之后在从业者、患者和公众领域分别开展了5次焦点小组讨论（每组5至8人），并录音。此外，还对社区医生进行了两次深度访谈。数据分析表明，社区准备情况有四种类型：核心准备、参与准备、结构准备和未准备好。各领域的准备程度有所不同。主要有六个主题：核心准备；结构准备；效益预测；风险评估；意识与教育；以及组内和组间动态。该研究结果可用于调查农村和偏远社区对远程医疗的准备情况，这应能提高成功实施的几率。
