School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. Email:
Department of Rural Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Tamworth, NSW 2340, Australia. Email:
Aust Health Rev. 2021 Mar;45(2):241-246. doi: 10.1071/AH19231.
Objective To explore the perceptions of rural health professionals who use telehealth services for cardiovascular health care, including the potential role of telehealth in enhancing services for this patient group. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten rural health professionals across a range of disciplines, including medicine, nursing and allied health. All study participants were based in the same rural region in New South Wales, Australia. Results Participant responses emphasised the importance of including rural communities in ongoing dialogue to enhance telehealth services for cardiovascular care. Divergent expectations about the purpose of telehealth and unresolved technology issues were identified as factors to be addressed. Rural health professionals highlighted the importance of all stakeholders coming together to overcome barriers and enhance telehealth services in a collaborative manner. Conclusion This study contributes to an evolving understanding of how health professionals based in regional Australia experience telehealth services. Future telehealth research should proceed in collaboration with rural communities, supported by policy that actively facilitates the meaningful inclusion of rural stakeholders in telehealth dialogue. What is known about the topic? Telehealth is frequently discussed as a potential solution to overcome aspects of rural health, such as poor outcomes and limited access to services compared with metropolitan areas. In the context of telehealth and cardiovascular disease (CVD), research that focuses on rural communities is limited, particularly regarding the experiences of these communities with telehealth. What does this paper add? This paper offers insight into how telehealth is experienced by rural health professionals. The paper highlights divergent expectations of telehealth's purpose and unresolved technological issues as barriers to telehealth service delivery. It suggests telehealth services may be enhanced by collaborative approaches that engage multiple stakeholder groups. What are the implications for practitioners? The use and development of telehealth in rural communities requires a collaborative approach that considers the views of rural stakeholders in their specific contexts. To improve telehealth services for people living with CVD in rural communities, it is important that rural stakeholders have opportunities to engage with non-rural clinicians, telehealth developers and policy makers.
目的 探索使用远程医疗服务进行心血管保健的农村卫生专业人员的看法，包括远程医疗在增强该患者群体服务方面的潜在作用。
方法 对来自不同学科（包括医学、护理和联合健康）的 10 名农村卫生专业人员进行了半结构化访谈。所有研究参与者均来自澳大利亚新南威尔士州的同一农村地区。
结果 参与者的回应强调了让农村社区参与正在进行的对话的重要性，以增强远程医疗在心血管保健方面的服务。确定了对远程医疗目的的不同期望和未解决的技术问题，这些都是需要解决的因素。农村卫生专业人员强调了所有利益相关者共同努力，以协作方式克服障碍并增强远程医疗服务的重要性。
结论 本研究有助于深入了解澳大利亚地区的卫生专业人员对远程医疗服务的体验。未来的远程医疗研究应与农村社区合作进行，政策应积极支持有意义地让农村利益相关者参与远程医疗对话。
关于该主题已知的内容？远程医疗经常被讨论为一种潜在的解决方案，可以克服农村地区的一些健康问题，例如与大都市地区相比，农村地区的医疗效果较差和服务获取有限。在远程医疗和心血管疾病（CVD）的背景下，针对农村社区的研究有限，特别是针对这些社区对远程医疗的体验。
这篇论文增加了什么内容？本文深入了解了农村卫生专业人员对远程医疗的体验。该论文强调了远程医疗目的的不同期望和未解决的技术问题是远程医疗服务提供的障碍。它建议通过吸引多个利益相关者群体的协作方法，可以增强远程医疗服务。
这对从业者有什么影响？农村社区远程医疗的使用和发展需要一种协作方法，要考虑到农村利益相关者在其特定背景下的观点。为了改善农村社区心血管疾病患者的远程医疗服务，重要的是让农村利益相关者有机会与非农村临床医生、远程医疗开发者和政策制定者进行互动。
