Tesfalul Martha, Littman-Quinn Ryan, Antwi Cynthia, Ndlovu Siphiwo, Motsepe Didintle, Phuthego Motsholathebe, Tau Boitumelo, Mohutsiwa-Dibe Neo, Kovarik Carrie
Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Health Informatics and Telemedicine, Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2016 Apr;23(e1):e142-5. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocv140. Epub 2015 Oct 28.
Mobile telemedicine involves the use of mobile device (e.g., cell phones, tablets) technology to exchange information to assist in the provision of patient care. Throughout the world, mobile telemedicine initiatives are increasing in number and in scale, but literature on their impact on patient outcomes in low-resource areas is limited. This study explores the potential impact of a mobile oral telemedicine system on the oral health specialty referral system in Botswana. Analysis of 26 eligible cases from June 2012 to July 2013 reveals high diagnosis concordance between dental officers and oral health specialists at 91.3% (21/23) but significant management plan discordance at 64.0% (16/25), over two-thirds of which involved the specialists disagreeing with the referring clinicians about the need for a visit to a specialist. These findings suggest mobile telemedicine can optimize the use of insights and skills of specialists remotely in regions where they are scarce.
移动远程医疗涉及使用移动设备（如手机、平板电脑）技术来交换信息，以协助提供患者护理。在全球范围内，移动远程医疗计划的数量和规模都在增加，但关于其对资源匮乏地区患者治疗结果影响的文献有限。本研究探讨了移动口腔远程医疗系统对博茨瓦纳口腔健康专科转诊系统的潜在影响。对2012年6月至2013年7月期间的26例符合条件的病例进行分析发现，牙科官员与口腔健康专家之间的诊断一致性较高，为91.3%（21/23），但管理计划不一致性显著，为64.0%（16/25），其中超过三分之二涉及专家与转诊临床医生在是否需要转诊至专科医生方面存在分歧。这些发现表明，移动远程医疗可以在专科医生稀缺的地区远程优化其见解和技能的利用。
