How to organize Telemedicine Services in Primary Care: consensus from a Delphi study

Vera Costa

Keywords: Delphi study, Telemedicine, Primary Care

Background:

Telemedicine can potentially help the day-to-day work in a Primary Care Health Unit.
This is still a subject in progress in the Portuguese National Health Service. Considering that the first step in creating a balanced organization is obtaining a consensus between all parties, we aim to start with implementing an e-Delphi questionnaire, like in previous experiences.

Research questions:

How to implement Telemedicine in a Primary Care Unit?

Method:

We will use the e-Delphi technique to create a consensus.
The expert panel will be integrated by doctors and nurses with special qualifications, from all over the country, that work in the clinical management of Primary Care Units and with at least 10 years of work experience.
The minimal number of experts in the panel is 6, ideally more than 12. We will invite at least 30 potential experts, and use snowball sampling, to overcome bad inclusion.
In time to make changes, there will be a pilot test to assess the executability and adequacy of the questions.
We expect at least two rounds of questionnaires, within 6 months.
In the first round, there will be an open question. The second round will be a questionnaire constructed in a close format depending on those experts' analyses.
We will use the Lickert Social Scale with 5 points, with the possibility of an open answer.
The positive answers from at least 70% of experts will be translated into a consensus.
Feedback will be given to the experts, and the reports should be done after each round, including the questions that remain in discussion and new ones that can be considered necessary.

Results:

Create a consensual protocol to implement a Telemedicine service in Primary Care Units that can be applied nationwide.

Conclusions:

Not yet found

Points for discussion:

Establish how to create an effective Telemedicine service, including the timetable, and the optimal duration to permit maintaining the patients' and the doctors' satisfaction, in a way that integrates the time to prepare to conclude the contacts.

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