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Understanding the normalization of telemedicine services through qualitative evaluation
Carl May1, Robert Harrison, Tracy Finch
1Centre for Health Services Research, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. c.r.may@ncl.ac.uk
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA
|August 20, 2003
Summary
Understanding telemedicine normalization requires a new model. Successful implementation hinges on policy sponsorship, organizational integration, cohesive teams, and professional practice adaptation for sustained clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Medical Informatics
- Qualitative Research Methods
Background:
- Qualitative studies are crucial for understanding telemedicine implementation successes and failures.
- Normalization of telemedicine within clinical services requires robust conceptual models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a conceptual model for assessing the normalization processes in telemedicine implementation.
- To identify key factors influencing the successful integration of telemedicine into clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective and cumulative analysis of longitudinal qualitative data from 1997-2002.
- Utilized observation and semistructured interviews across approximately 582 data collection episodes.
- Employed constant comparison for cumulative data analysis.
Main Results:
- Telemedicine implementation requires policy sponsorship.
- Successful adoption depends on structural and organizational integration.
- Clinical practice translation needs cohesive professional groups and new protocols.
Conclusions:
- Linear diffusion models are insufficient for assessing tele-healthcare normalization.
- Political, organizational, and ownership factors are critical for telemedicine development.
- A new model is presented to define requirements for successful telemedicine normalization in clinical practice.