Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 10, Supplement 1 > Pp. 60-63

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kerr, K. Articles by Norris, T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Papers

Telehealth in New Zealand: current practice and future prospects

Karolyn Kerr and Tony Norris

Ministry of Health, Wellington, New Zealand; Department of Information Systems and Operations Management, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
We have surveyed the current state of telehealth in New Zealand. The survey found 22 telehealth projects active in 2003, compared with 12 identified in a previous survey in 2000. Many projects were small, localized and led by enthusiasts. Sustainability was a problem and many projects had failed to enter routine operation. Teleradiology and telepsychiatry services focused on acute hospitals were the most frequent clinical applications. The majority of projects (9 of the 22) were on the North Island, concentrated around Auckland. Telehealth appears to have special potential for rural communities and for the remote treatment (telecare) of chronic disease. However, the provision of telehealth in New Zealand is patchy and meets the same barriers to success as have been identified elsewhere, which make it difficult to move telehealth into routine operation. The obstacles constitute not so much a failure of individual projects as a lack of a driving force to take advantage of the opportunities. It is to be hoped that a suggested strategic framework can help to harness the opportunities.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?