Date of Award
6-2012
Document Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Melinda Goldner
Language
English
Keywords
provider, patient, telemedicine, homecare, care
Abstract
The objective of this thesis was to look at provider and patient satisfaction with the use of telemedicine in the delivery of healthcare. From the literature, it is clear that the providers and patients find different aspects of telemedicine to be appealing but have noted certain limitations with its use. Each study that was reviewed in the literature explored a different type of telemedicine, but in no way covered all of its current applications. In my study, I interviewed three patients and three providers. The patients all use a homecare telemedicine unit in which they can self-measure basic vital signs, which are electronically transferred and monitored by providers elsewhere, of whom one was interviewed. The second provider is a general practitioner who uses telemedicine extensively in his practice while the third provider uses it to electronically educate other practitioners. I found that the patients and providers are satisfied with the use of telemedicine in healthcare but do feel that telemedicine has its limitations, which agreed with the literature. Positive aspects of telemedicine were that it is convenient, saved costs and improved care. However, the subjects noted certain limitations including technological incompatibility and loss of personal interaction. Telemedicine is a new and growing field of medicine that will require more research in order for its application to be used widespread.
Recommended Citation
Dhingra, Rohit, "Provider and Patient Satisfaction with the Use of Telemedicine in the Delivery of Healthcare" (2012). Honors Theses. 801.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/801