Strategic Procedures and Revisions for implementing Telemedicine and Telecare in Greece

Summary

The development of telemedicine and telecare has been changed all over the world the recent decades as practitioners and health care managers reached better understanding of the use of information and communication technologies to offer urgent and qualified medical services at a distance. Governments and health care providers have shown a large initial interest in the benefits of telemedicine services to reduce costs mostly for patient’s transfer to tertiary hospitals or for educational purposes but have been slow to provide strategic plans and procedures in order to proceed the projects into practice.

The paper identifies the involvement of governments, healthcare management, healthcare professionals and IT suppliers in telemedicine policy development and reviews the experience of Greece in the specific field which seems that despite the enormous scientific interest for both medicine and health informatics, the practice until now has not gained the expected results. Furthermore, the analysis concerns the critical success factors that have to be revised simultaneously with the main managerial principles for the design and implementation of quality telemedicine and telecare services.

Keywords

Telemedicine - telecare - healthcare management - strategic procedures

• References

• 1 Stanberry BA. The legal and ethical aspects of telemedicine,. Chap 1: London Royal Society of Medicine,; 1998
• 2 American Telemedicine Association. Telemedicine a brief overview,. Washington:: Congressional Tele-health Briefing,; 1999
• 3 Norris AC. Essentials of telemedicine and telecare. Department of Management Science and Information Systems, University of Auckland,. New Zealand,; 2002 ISBN:0–471–53151-0.
• 4 Mitchell J. Fragmentation to integration: National scoping study for the telemedicine industry in Australia,. Department of Industry, Science and Tourism,; Canberra, ACT,: 1988
• 5 ICT Policy Support Programme, D7.1 Market Analysis, 2010 Available from: http://incasa-project.eu/downloads/deliverables/D7.1_Market_Analysis_v1.0.pdf.
• 6 Bashshur R. Telemedicine effects cost, quality and access. J Med Systems 1995; 19 (2). Available from: http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44995/1/10916_2005_Article_BF02257059.pdf
• 7 Binioris S. E-governance in the Greek environment: Necessity and speculations,. J of Arch of Econ Hist 2005; XVII (01) 93-108.
• 8 Iacovides I, Pattichis CS, Schizas CN. Editorial special issue on emerging health telematics applications in Europe. OEEE Trans Inform Technol In Biom 1998 2. (3)
• 9 Norris AC. Strategic support of telemedicine and telecare. Proceedings of the 6th Intern Symp on Health Inform Manag Res –ISHIMR 2001: 183-197.
• 10 Perednia D, Allen A. Telemedicine technology and clinical applications. J of the Amer Med Assoc 1995; 273 (06) 483-488.
• 11 Denjoy N. Structural funds and health: Learning lessons and next steps. EC study 2010. Available from: www.ehealth-impact.org
• 12 mHealth: New horizons for health through mobile technologies. Available from: http://www.who.int/goe/publications/goe_mhealth_web.pdf
• 13 Available from: http://www.sismanoglio.gr/special9.sismanoglio.gr
• 14 Kastania AN. Telemedicine systems & services: the Greek case. Healthcare Inform Techn J. 2000
• 15 Gatzonis M. et al. Maternity telemedicine services in the Aegean Islands. 2000. Available from: http://alpha. mpl.uoa.gr
• 16 Mavrogeni S, Tsirintani M, Cokkinos D. Urgent response telecardiology services and training –collaboration between Onassis Cardiac Surgery Hospital and Aegian Islands’ Health Care Centers. Stud in Health Techn and Inform 1997; 43: 902-905.
• 17 Mavrogeni S, Tsirintani M. Supervision of thrombolysis of acute myocardial infarction using telemedicine. Journ of Telemed and Telecare 2000; 6 (01) 54-58.
• 18 Labiris G. et al. Tele-ophthalmology and conventional ophthalmology using a mobile medical unit in remote Greece. J of Telemed and Telecare 2003; 9: 296-299.
• 19 Balestri R. et al. Telemedicine on a small island. J of Telemed and Telecare 1999; 5 (01) S50-S52.
• 20 Tsitlakidis C, Mylonakis J, Niakas D. Economic evaluation of telemedicine for a remotely located population: the case of two Greek islands. Intern J of Electr Healthcare 2005; 1 (03) 243-260.
• 21 Vontetsianos T. et al. Telemedicine-assisted home support for patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: reliminary results after nine-month follow-up. J of Telemed and Telecare 2005; 11 (Suppl. 01) S86-S8.
• 22 Lambousis E. et al. Development and use of online mental health services in Greece. J of Telemed and Tele-care 2002; 08 (Suppl. 02) S51-S52.
• 23 Anogianakis S. et al. Medical emergency aid through telematics: design, implementation, guidelines and analysis of user requirements for the MEDMAID project. Intern J of Med Inform 1998; 52: 93-103.
• 24 Emergency 112. Project available from: http://www.biomed.ntua.gr/emergency112
• 25 Pombortsis AS. Communication technologies in health care environments. Intern J of Med Inform 1998; 52: 61-70.
• 26 Available from: http://news.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_ell_2_30/07/2011_451035.
• 27 Telemedicine services in Greece related to the National Health System: Available from: http://www.yyka.gov.gr/articles/citizen/xrhsima-thlefwna-amp-dieythynseis/72-yphresies-thle-atrikhs-e-s-y
• 28 Goula A. Hospital Management. , ed, Athens, Papazisis, 2007.
• 29 Eriotis N, Vasileiou D, Zisis V. The development of telemedicine projects by private health institutions in Greece; Shareholder’s Reaction and Best Financing Methods. Eur J of Econ, Fin and Admin Sc 2008. Available from: http://www.eurojournalsn.com.
• 30 Medical Liability, Safety and Confidentiality, 2011 Available from: http://www.ingbiomedica.unina.it/tele/plans_doc/WP3_index.htm
• 31 Halaris I. et al. Deploying pervasive secure knowledge management infrastructures. Int J of Perv Comp and Commun. 2005
• 32 Miaoulis G. et al. New role for a medical documentation system. J of Med Inform 1992; 17 (03) 165-178.
• 33 Perdikouri M, Giovas P, Papadogiannis D. Telemedicine in practice, ed. Athens En Plo, 2005, ISBN: 960–88063–8–0
• 34 Hakansson S, Gavelin C. What do we really know about the cost effectiveness of telemedicine. Journ of Telemed and Telecare 2000; 6 (01) 133-136.
• 35 Hailey D, Roine R, Ohinmaa A. Systematic review of evidence for the benefits of telemedicine. Journ of Telemed and Telecare 2002; 6 (01) 1-7.
• 36 Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/health/policy/telemedicine/telemedi/cine2/index_en.htm
• 37 Pierakos G. et al. Training needs and vocational training of human resource in health. Nosileftiki J 2006; 45 (04) 543-551.
• 38 Gomez MI. European innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing. EHTEL Symp. DG for Health Consumers, 2010.