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Telemedicine Journal and E-health : the... Nov 2020Telemedicine and point-of-care ultrasound have merged to create a field known as teleultrasound (TUS). Real-time TUS involves the transmission of bedside ultrasound...
Telemedicine and point-of-care ultrasound have merged to create a field known as teleultrasound (TUS). Real-time TUS involves the transmission of bedside ultrasound (US) images with direct feedback from an US expert. In this review, we summarize the current uses of real-time TUS and discuss its potential future uses. We performed a literature search (PubMed and EMBase) to assess articles related to real-time TUS. Data were extracted using a standardized collection form, and relevant articles were separated into feasibility or clinical studies. Our search yielded 45 articles, with most of the reports taking place in resource-constrained settings. A large portion of the studies discussed the use of the focused assessment with sonography in trauma exam. Others included musculoskeletal, vascular, and echocardiography. Real-time TUS allows for rapid access to diagnostic imaging in various clinical settings. This technology is poised to expand with many uses on the horizon.
Topics: Echocardiography; Humans; Point-of-Care Systems; Telemedicine; Ultrasonography
PubMed: 32302520
DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2019.0177 -
Medicina Clinica Apr 2023Telemedicine is defined as the use of electronic technology for information and communication by healthcare professionals with patients (or care givers) aiming at... (Review)
Review
Telemedicine is defined as the use of electronic technology for information and communication by healthcare professionals with patients (or care givers) aiming at providing and supporting healthcare to patients away from healthcare institutions. This systematic review over the last decade (2013-2022) investigates the use of telemedicine in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We identified 53 publications related to: (1) home tele-monitorization; (2) tele-education and self-management; (3) telerehabilitation; and (4) mobile health (mHealth). Results showed that, although evidence is still weak in many of these domains, results are positive in terms of improvement of health-status, use of health-care resources, feasibility, and patient satisfaction. Importantly, no safety issues were identified. Thus, telemedicine can be considered today as a potential complement to usual healthcare.
Topics: Humans; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Health Status; Telemedicine; Patient Satisfaction
PubMed: 36801105
DOI: 10.1016/j.medcli.2023.01.008 -
Annals of Palliative Medicine Dec 2021With the development of information communication technology (ICT), telemedicine has become a promising option for patients with chronic diseases who need continuous... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
With the development of information communication technology (ICT), telemedicine has become a promising option for patients with chronic diseases who need continuous monitoring at home or in remote health care facilities. As cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for an estimated 17.9 million deaths globally each year, it is appropriate to evaluate the effectiveness of telemedicine for the health care management of CVD patients.
METHODS
The Library of Congress, LISTA (EBSCO), PubMed (NLM), and Web of Science databases were searched with a date limitation from 1 January 2000 until 5 August 2021 for Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) studies. Two independent researchers screened the records for inclusion and extracted the data for synthesis, supported by RevMan 5.0 software. As one of the clinical outcomes, the mean difference and standard deviation of systolic blood pressure were synthesized. For the Quality-of-life measures, EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) scores were also synthesized and for the depression level, CESD-10 scores were synthesized.
RESULTS
We identified 23 studies for qualitative analysis and 21 studies for quantitative analysis. 21 studies included systolic blood pressure as an outcome measure and the results show a statistical difference (P<0.05) between the intervention group and the control group and a favorable inclination toward the Telemedicine enhanced health care program over the usual care. Of the six studies that included body mass index (BMI) as an outcome measure, there was no significant difference in BMI between the telemedicine and usual health care groups. A total of five studies assessed patients' quality of life using the EQ-5D instrument. After excluding one study following the sensitivity analysis, telemedicine was shown to significantly improve patients' quality of life. Three studies that investigated patients' mental health (CSE-D-10) also showed a significantly beneficial effect of telemedicine over usual health care.
DISCUSSION
This review found limited evidence to support some of the outcomes in the original study designs. Overall, our findings suggested a favorable effect of telemedicine intervention in the field of health care for CVD patients. Due to the unavoidable heterogeneity within the selected literature, a more detailed investigation and analysis of the unclear outcomes is recommended.
Topics: Chronic Disease; Humans; Mental Health; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Telemedicine
PubMed: 35016435
DOI: 10.21037/apm-21-3626 -
Reproductive Biomedicine Online May 2024Telemedicine is being applied in assisted reproduction technology (ART) to provide remote consultations, monitoring and support for patients. This study aimed to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Telemedicine is being applied in assisted reproduction technology (ART) to provide remote consultations, monitoring and support for patients. This study aimed to evaluate the potential advantages of telemedicine in ART treatment in the form of virtual consultations. Studies in which patients were using telemedicine during ART treatment were identified from four scientific databases (PudMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science). The success of fertility treatments was compared between telemedicine and in-office care, and patient satisfaction with ART through telemedicine was assessed. Eleven studies, comprising 4697 patients, were identified. Quality assessment (Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal and revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tools) revealed an acceptable risk of bias for both randomized controlled trials and observational studies. Using a fixed-effects model, telemedicine was comparable to in-person care regarding the pregnancy rate achieved (odds ratio 1.02, 95% confidence intervals 0.83-1.26, P = 0.83). A Q-test suggested that all the included studies were homogeneous. Patients who received telemedicine during fertility treatment reported a high level of satisfaction (91%, 95% confidence intervals 80-96%). Egger's test confirmed that no publication bias was found. Telemedicine could serve as a complementary tool during fertility treatment to facilitate patients' satisfaction and overcome some practical problems without compromising treatment outcomes. Future studies should continue exploring the potential applications of telemedicine in assisted reproduction.
Topics: Humans; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; Telemedicine; Female; Pregnancy; Patient Satisfaction; Pregnancy Rate
PubMed: 38489925
DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2023.103752 -
Applied Clinical Informatics Jan 2022Electronic health (eHealth) usability evaluations of rapidly developed eHealth systems are difficult to accomplish because traditional usability evaluation methods...
BACKGROUND
Electronic health (eHealth) usability evaluations of rapidly developed eHealth systems are difficult to accomplish because traditional usability evaluation methods require substantial time in preparation and implementation. This illustrates the growing need for fast, flexible, and cost-effective methods to evaluate the usability of eHealth systems. To address this demand, the present study systematically identified and expert-validated rapidly deployable eHealth usability evaluation methods.
OBJECTIVE
Identification and prioritization of eHealth usability evaluation methods suitable for agile, easily applicable, and useful eHealth usability evaluations.
METHODS
The study design comprised a systematic iterative approach in which expert knowledge was contrasted with findings from literature. Forty-three eHealth usability evaluation methods were systematically identified and assessed regarding their ease of applicability and usefulness through semi-structured expert interviews with 10 European usability experts and systematic literature research. The most appropriate eHealth usability evaluation methods were selected stepwise based on the experts' judgements of their ease of applicability and usefulness.
RESULTS
Of these 43 eHealth usability evaluation methods identified as suitable for agile, easily applicable, and useful eHealth usability evaluations, 10 were recommended by the experts based on their usefulness for rapid eHealth usability evaluations. The three most frequently recommended eHealth usability evaluation methods were Remote User Testing, Expert Review, and Rapid Iterative Test and Evaluation Method. Eleven usability evaluation methods, such as Retrospective Testing, were not recommended for use in rapid eHealth usability evaluations.
CONCLUSION
We conducted a systematic review and expert-validation to identify rapidly deployable eHealth usability evaluation methods. The comprehensive and evidence-based prioritization of eHealth usability evaluation methods supports faster usability evaluations, and so contributes to the ease-of-use of emerging eHealth systems.
Topics: Electronics; Research Design; Retrospective Studies; Telemedicine
PubMed: 35263798
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1740919 -
Journal of Diabetes Science and... Sep 2023Strict monitoring of blood glucose during pregnancy is essential for ensuring optimal maternal and neonatal outcomes. Telemedicine could be a promising solution for... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Strict monitoring of blood glucose during pregnancy is essential for ensuring optimal maternal and neonatal outcomes. Telemedicine could be a promising solution for supporting diabetes management; however, an updated meta-analysis is warranted. This study assesses the effects of telemedicine solutions for managing gestational and pregestational diabetes.
METHODS
PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL were searched up to October 14, 2020. All randomized trials assessing the effects of telemedicine in managing diabetes in pregnancy relative to any comparator without the use of telemedicine were included. The primary outcome was infant birth weight. A meta-analysis comparing the mean difference (MD) in birth weight across studies was applied, and subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. The revised Cochrane tool was applied to assess the risk of bias, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
RESULTS
From a total of 18 studies, ten (totaling 899 participants) were used to calculate the effect on infant birth weight. The results nonsignificantly favored the control (MD of 19.34 g; [95% confidence interval, CI -47.8; 86.47]), with moderate effect certainty. Heterogeneity was moderate ( = 37.39%). Statistically significant secondary outcomes included differences in two-hour glucose tolerance postpartum (gestational diabetes; two studies: standardized mean difference 9.62 mg/dL [95% CI: 1.95; 17.28]) that favored the control (GRADE level, very low) and risk of shoulder dystocia (four studies: log odds -1.34 [95% CI: -2.61; -0.08]) that favored telemedicine (GRADE, low).
CONCLUSIONS
No evidence was found to support telemedicine as an alternative to usual care when considering maternal and fetal outcomes. However, further research is needed, including economic evaluations.
Topics: Pregnancy; Infant, Newborn; Female; Humans; Birth Weight; Diabetes, Gestational; Telemedicine; Blood Glucose
PubMed: 35533131
DOI: 10.1177/19322968221094626 -
The Surgeon : Journal of the Royal... Aug 2022Surgical site infections (SSI) are preventable post-operative complications. With the increase in use of telehealth modalities, there is a need to assess if telehealth... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Surgical site infections (SSI) are preventable post-operative complications. With the increase in use of telehealth modalities, there is a need to assess if telehealth modalities are safe for assessment of SSI.
AIM
This review aims to assess the accuracy of using telemedicine in the diagnosis of SSI in post-surgical adult patients as compared to in-person assessments.
METHODS
A comprehensive search on 6 databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and CENTRAL) was performed from inception to 1 December 2020. Data was extracted to determine accuracy, feasibility, acceptability, and usability of using telemedicine to detect SSIs. The primary outcome of this review was to review the diagnostic accuracy of telemedicine to diagnose SSIs as compared to direct, in-person assessment. Methodological quality was evaluated using the MINORS criteria.
RESULTS
Six studies met inclusion criteria. Results were summarized qualitatively. The overall methodological quality of the studies was moderate based on the MINORS score. Four studies utilized telephone surveillance, whilst two utilized mobile applications. Telemedicine modalities were able to accurately diagnose 66 SSIs, where an additional 15 were found on direct clinical review. The diagnostic accuracy across the studies ranged from 69.5 to 100%. Between 82.5 and 100% of patients were able to be contacted through these telemedicine modalities.
CONCLUSIONS
Telemedicine modalities are a feasible option for post-operative follow-up, especially in the identification of SSIs. As technology becomes more affordable and widely available, future applications of telemedicine are limitless. However, further research is still required to ensure that telemedicine is a safe and effective tool.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Surgical Wound Infection; Telemedicine
PubMed: 34158250
DOI: 10.1016/j.surge.2021.05.004 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Jan 2023Low vision affects over 300 million people worldwide and can compromise both activities of daily living and quality of life. Rehabilitative training and vision assistive... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
BACKGROUND
Low vision affects over 300 million people worldwide and can compromise both activities of daily living and quality of life. Rehabilitative training and vision assistive equipment (VAE) may help, but some visually impaired people have limited resources to attend in-person visits to rehabilitation clinics to be trained to learn to use VAE. These people may be able to overcome barriers to care through access to remote, internet-based consultation (telerehabilitation).
OBJECTIVES
To compare the effects of telerehabilitation with face-to-face (e.g. in-office or inpatient) vision rehabilitation services for improving vision-related quality of life and near reading ability in people with visual function loss due to any ocular condition. Secondary objectives were to evaluate compliance with scheduled rehabilitation sessions, abandonment rates for VAE devices, and patient satisfaction ratings.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Trials Register) (2021, Issue 9); Ovid MEDLINE; Embase.com; PubMed; ClinicalTrials.gov; and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). We did not use any language restriction or study design filter in the electronic searches; however, we restricted the searches from 1980 onwards because the internet was not introduced to the public until 1982. We last searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE Ovid, Embase, and PubMed on 14 September 2021, and the trial registries on 16 March 2022.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or controlled clinical trials (CCTs) in which participants diagnosed with low vision had received vision rehabilitation services remotely from a human provider using internet, web-based technology compared with an approach involving in-person consultations.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently screened titles and abstracts retrieved by the searches of the electronic databases and then full-text articles for eligible studies. Two review authors independently abstracted data from the included studies. Any discrepancies were resolved by discussion.
MAIN RESULTS
We identified one RCT/CCT that indirectly met our inclusion criteria, and two ongoing trials that met our inclusion criteria. The included trial had an overall high risk of bias. We did not conduct a quantitative analysis since multiple controlled trials were not identified. The single included trial of 57 participants utilized a parallel-group design. It compared 30 hours of either personalized low vision training through telerehabilitation with a low vision therapist (the experimental group) with the self-training standard provided by eSight using the eSkills User Guide that was self-administered by the participants at home for one hour per day for 30 days (the comparison group). The trial investigators found a similar direction of effects for both groups for vision-related quality of life and satisfaction at two weeks, three months, and six months. A greater proportion of participants in the comparison group had abandoned or discontinued use of the eSight Eyewear at two weeks than those in the telerehabilitation group, but discontinuance rates were similar between groups at one month and three months. We rated the certainty of the evidence for all outcomes as very low due to high risk of bias in randomization processes and missing outcome data and imprecision. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The included trial found similar efficacy between telerehabilitation with a therapist and an active control intervention of self-guided training in mostly younger to middle-aged adults with low vision who received a new wearable electronic aid. Given the disease burden and the growing interest in telemedicine, the two ongoing studies, when completed, may provide further evidence of the potential for telerehabilitation as a platform for providing services to people with low vision.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Middle Aged; Blindness; Telemedicine; Telerehabilitation; Vision, Low; Activities of Daily Living; Quality of Life
PubMed: 36637057
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011019.pub4 -
Journal of Medical Internet Research Mar 2022Telehealth technology is an excellent solution to resolve the problems of health care delivery. However, this technology may fail during large-scale implementation. As a... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Telehealth technology is an excellent solution to resolve the problems of health care delivery. However, this technology may fail during large-scale implementation. As a result, business models can be used to facilitate commercialization of telehealth products and services.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to review different types of business models or frameworks and their components used in the telehealth industry.
METHODS
This was a systematic review conducted in 2020. The databases used for searching related articles included Ovid, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Emerald, and ProQuest. Google Scholar was also searched. These databases and Google Scholar were searched until the end of January 2020 and duplicate references were removed. Finally, articles meeting the inclusion criteria were selected and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist was used for appraising the strengths and limitations of each study. Data were extracted using a data extraction form, and the results were synthesized narratively.
RESULTS
Initially, 4998 articles were found and after screening, 23 were selected to be included in the study. The results showed that new telehealth business models were presented in 13 studies, and the applications of the existing business models were reported in 10 studies. These studies were related to different types of services, namely, telemonitoring (4 studies), telemedicine (3 studies), mobile health (3 studies), telerehabilitation (3 studies), telehealth (2 studies), assisted living technologies (2 studies), sensor-based systems (2 studies), and mobile teledermoscopy, teleradiology, telecardiology, and teletreatment (1 study related to each area). In most of the business models, value proposition, financial variables, and revenue streams were the main components.
CONCLUSIONS
Applying business models in the commercialization of telehealth services will be useful to gain a better understanding of the required components, market challenges, and possible future changes. The results showed that different business models can be used for different telehealth technologies in various health systems and cultures. However, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these models in practice. Moreover, comparing the usefulness of these models in different domains of telehealth services will help identify the strengths and weaknesses of these models for future optimization.
Topics: Delivery of Health Care; Humans; Technology; Telemedicine
PubMed: 35348471
DOI: 10.2196/33128 -
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Dec 2023The use of telemedicine for the prehospital management of emergency conditions, especially stroke, is increasing day by day. Few studies have investigated the... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
The use of telemedicine for the prehospital management of emergency conditions, especially stroke, is increasing day by day. Few studies have investigated the applications of telemedicine in Emergency Medical Services (EMS). A comprehensive study of the applications of this technology in stroke patients in ambulances can help to build a better understanding. Therefore, this systematic review was conducted to investigate the use of telemedicine in ambulances for stroke patients in 2023.
METHODS
A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, ProQuest, Science Direct, and Web of Science from 2013 through March 1, 2023. The authors selected the articles based on keywords and criteria and reviewed them in terms of title, abstract, and full text. Finally, the articles that were related to the study aim were evaluated.
RESULTS
The initial search resulted in the extraction of 2,795 articles. After review of the articles, and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, seven articles were selected for the final analysis. Three (42.85%) studies were on the feasibility and intervention types. Also, randomized trials, feasibility, feasibility and prospective-observational, and feasibility and retrospective-interventional studies were each one (14.28%). Six (85.71%) of the studies were conducted in the United States. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and RP-Xpress were the most commonly used tools for neurological evaluations and teleconsultations.
CONCLUSION
Remote prehospital consultations, triage, and sending patient data before they go to the emergency department can be provided through telemedicine in ambulances. Neurological evaluations via telemedicine are reliable and accurate, and they are almost equal to in-person evaluations by a neurologist.
Topics: Humans; United States; Ambulances; Retrospective Studies; Prospective Studies; Telemedicine; Emergency Medical Services; Stroke
PubMed: 37877359
DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X23006519