Academic literature on the topic 'Telehealth evaluation model'

In this chapter the authors investigate telehealth quality and reliability assurance. Various models and standards can be applied to assess software quality and reliability in telehealth platforms and there are also general principles for total quality management which can be adopted. There are also models to assess the quality of the system and the quality of care which are also presented. The approach based on user satisfaction, considers the expectation measurement as information which is not inextricably linked to quality. A different approach is the one based on expectations as well as on disconfirmation of user expectations. The underlying structural model is based on a modified SERVQUAL approach that consists of five dimensions (Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance and Empathy) which have been consistently ranked by customers to be most important for service quality across all industries. The model can thus be used for evaluation of healthcare services and for planning improvements on services. All these aspects for telehealth systems design are discussed to formulate epistemic criteria for evaluation purposes.

The focus of this chapter is to asses a new model of care in dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). According with sociotechnical approaches, the authors describe a proof of concept, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) intervention, as a technical and organizational model of robust, reliable, and efficient clinical practice to meet the medical, psychological, and social needs of AD people and their family. The authors also propose the “Identification-Recognition-Evaluation-Application Model” as process methodology in a telemedicine project. In this perspective, the technology has to be analyzed as technology-in-use, a process coming out from an ecology of specific actions and actors. Finally, the authors describe their experience of a longitudinal study in which ICT networking technologies are used to implement coping strategies, in order to improve the quality of life of AD families.

An agent-based wellness indicator is an information visualization system designed to present wellness and decision-support information to individuals and their caregivers by elaborating the data provided by measuring devices utilizing the unique characteristics of software agents. The wellness indicator is constructed from an operational wellness model we developed. The model allows an automatic measuring system to calculate the wellness level for a number of indicators resulting in an overall wellness level. These results can be presented in a simple graphical format. The software has been evaluated by following the steps provided in the framework for testing a wellness visualization system. The evaluation is carried out by both general users and healthcare professionals. The results show positive feedback on various aspects of the indicator; and confirm that the wellness indicator can assist people to have a better understanding of their personal state of well-being and can support caregivers in delivering their services.

The prevailing system for diagnosis, treatment, and management of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in the US—the in-person service delivery—has been unable to address the increase in the demand for services and societal costs for those served, and the unattained societal benefits for those not diagnosed early enough or not offered early and intensive behavioral interventions. The authors discuss new developments in telehealth for diagnostic evaluation and ASD treatment in the US. They build a theoretical model to capture telehealth system’s potential in reaching ASD screening market equilibrium under the constraint of full utilization of provider hours and other stylized facts. The authors estimate the market demand for ASD screening in the US for year 2011. They present their progress with a case study that focuses on the potential impacts of increased access to care of technology-based telehealth on the Georgia-South Carolina border. The authors use social network analysis to envision the future of telehealth service delivery for ASDs.