Stakeholder-driven multi-stage adaptive real-world theme-oriented (SMART) telehealth evaluation framework: a scoping...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Health Services Research
• Digital Health

Background:

• Telehealth adoption has surged, yet comprehensive evaluation frameworks for quality assurance remain underdeveloped.
• Existing evaluations often lack standardized methodologies, hindering consistent quality assessment.
• This gap impacts the effective implementation and scalability of telehealth services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of existing telehealth evaluation frameworks within the US healthcare system.
• To identify key themes and components of current telehealth evaluation approaches.
• To develop a novel, comprehensive conceptual framework for evaluating telehealth programs.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and a published protocol.
• Systematic search and synthesis of telehealth evaluation frameworks published between 2019 and 2023.
• Development of a stakeholder-driven, multi-stage adaptive real-world theme-oriented (SMART) conceptual framework.

Main Results:

• Twelve telehealth evaluation frameworks were identified and analyzed.
• Key themes included program implementation, clinical impact, economic impact, and equity.
• A novel SMART conceptual framework for telehealth evaluation was developed and illustrated with a use case.

Conclusions:

• The developed SMART framework provides a structured approach for comprehensive telehealth evaluation.
• This framework aids stakeholders in creating tailored evaluation plans for telehealth services.
• Standardizing telehealth evaluations can enhance service quality, improve patient outcomes, and advance health equity.