Telemedicine in an international context: definition, use, and future

Use of telemedicine is increasingly prevalent in order to provide better access to expert care, and we examine telemedicine use internationally.

Using Donabedian's structure, process outcome framework, we conduct an analysis of published studies in the United States, Europe, and Asia to examine the uses, conditions treated, barriers, and future of telemedicine.

We identify several similarities and challenges to telemedicine use in each region. We find use of videoconferencing between providers or providers and patients for the treatment of acute and chronic conditions. Studies in the United States are more likely to identify applications for the use of chronic conditions, whereas studies in Europe or Asia are more likely to use them for acute access to expertise. Each region reported comparable challenges in reimbursement, liability, technology, and provider licensing.

We compare available research articles from three diverse regions, and many of the articles were merely descriptive in nature. Furthermore, the number of articles per region varied.

Barriers to telemedicine use include a lack of reimbursement, language commonality, technological availability, physician licensure or credentialing, trained support staff and patient privacy, and security assurances. Practitioners and policy makers should work to address these barriers.

Through this work, a summary of the research to date describes telemedicine use in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Identification of use and barriers may provide impetus for improving access to care by finding ways to increase telemedicine use through standardization.