Telehealth: overcoming barriers - a new book chapter

The logic and arguments for telehealth are compelling. Providing people with technology in their own homes to enable them to manage their own care better and thus have better health. Additionally the technology can be used by service providers to identify areas of patient concern earlier and therefore support preventative health by intervening earlier than otherwise would be possible.
Over recent years the evidence base has become more informative, including the large Randomised Control Trial through the Department of Health’s Whole System Demonstrator project. However despite this momentum telehealth is still in its infancy with more promise than reality.

In a new book ‘Essential Lessons for the Success of Telehomecare’ published by the IOS, RAT group members Doctors Simon Brownsell and Annette Haywood have joined forces with Professor Sue Mawson to write a chapter on the barriers and challenges to telehealth implementation.

By highlighting common pitfalls as well as building upon known successes the chapter discusses barriers often encountered with particular attention given to lessons categorised under the following three headings.(1) Structural – determining whether telehomecare should be embraced; (2) Implementation - obstacles experienced when implementing telehomecare, (3) Adoption - difficulties translating small scale initiatives to mainstream service delivery.

 [written by Simon Brownsell]