Several issues impede the widespread adoption of robotic telemedicine in emergency and critical care settings, according to a new study published in Telemedicine and e-Health, CMIO reports.
C30 Medical Group researchers conducted 106 Web-based surveys of emergency and critical care telehealth users to gain an understanding of the barriers and motivational factors related to its use.
Study Findings
According to the study, regulatory, financial and cultural barriers are the top three obstacles to the adoption of telemedicine in emergency and critical care settings.
Specifically, researchers found that among survey respondents:
- 73.3% strongly agreed or agreed that government reimbursement limits adoption of robotic telemedicine;
- 61% strongly agreed or agreed that the inability to bill for the services that were provided is a barrier to the implementation of robotic telemedicine;
- 61% strongly agreed or agreed that out-of-state licensing requirements hinder robotic telemedicine adoption; and
- 43% strongly agreed or agreed that a lack of understanding and exposure constrains robotic telemedicine use.
The study noted that patients, physicians, nurses and hospital executives themselves are not barriers to implementation.
Recommendations
The researchers concluded that to resolve these barriers:
- Regulatory models should be set up to permit physicians to obtain credentialing and interstate licensing for robotic telemedicine;
- Payment systems for robotic telemedicine that go beyond current practices should be developed; and
- Educational programs should be developed to help health care providers become familiar with the concepts of robotic telemedicine (Byers, CMIO, 1/19).