Telemedicine Services for the Arctic: A Systematic Review.

نویسندگان

  • Ashenafi Zebene Woldaregay
  • Ståle Walderhaug
  • Gunnar Hartvigsen
چکیده

BACKGROUND Telemedicine services have been successfully used in areas where there are adequate infrastructures such as reliable power and communication lines. However, despite the increasing number of merchants and seafarers, maritime and Arctic telemedicine have had limited success. This might be linked with various factors such as lack of good infrastructure, lack of trained onboard personnel, lack of Arctic-enhanced telemedicine equipment, extreme weather conditions, remoteness, and other geographical challenges. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this review was to assess and analyze the current status of telemedicine services in the context of maritime conditions, extreme weather (ie, Arctic weather), and remote accidents and emergencies. Moreover, the paper aimed to identify successfully implemented telemedicine services in the Arctic region and in maritime settings and remote emergency situations and present state of the art systems for these areas. Finally, we identified the status quo of telemedicine services in the context of search and rescue (SAR) scenarios in these extreme conditions. METHODS A rigorous literature search was conducted between September 7 and October 28, 2015, through various online databases. Peer reviewed journals and articles were considered. Relevant articles were first identified by reviewing the title, keywords, and abstract for a preliminary filter with our selection criteria, and then we reviewed full-text articles that seemed relevant. Information from the selected literature was extracted based on some predefined categories, which were defined based on previous research and further elaborated upon via iterative brainstorming. RESULTS The initial hits were vetted using the title, abstract, and keywords, and we retrieved a total of 471 papers. After removing duplicates from the list, 422 records remained. Then, we did an independent assessment of the articles and screening based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, which eliminated another 219 papers, leaving 203 relevant papers. After a full-text assessment, 36 articles were left, which were critically analyzed. The inter-rater agreement was measured using Cohen Kappa test, and disagreements were resolved through discussion. CONCLUSIONS Despite the increasing number of fishermen and other seafarers, Arctic and maritime working conditions are mainly characterized by an absence of access to health care facilities. The condition is further aggravated for fishermen and seafarers who are working in the Arctic regions. In spite of the existing barriers and challenges, some telemedicine services have recently been successfully delivered in these areas. These services include teleconsultation (9/37, 24%), teleradiology (8/37, 22%), teledermatology and tele-education (3/37, 8%), telemonitoring and telecardiology (telesonography) (1/37, 3%), and others (10/37, 27%). However, the use of telemedicine in relation to search and rescue (SAR) services is not yet fully exploited. Therefore, we foresee that these implemented and evaluated telemedicine services will serve as underlying models for the successful implementation of future search and rescue (SAR) services.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Telemedicine: A systematic review of economic evaluations

Background: Telemedicine is an expanded term in health information technology that comprises procedures for transmitting medical information electronically to improve patients’ health status. The objective of this research is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine interventions in various specialty areas.    Methods: The Cochrane Library and Centre for Review and Di...

متن کامل

Telemedicine Services in Arctic Environments – Challenges for Successful Implementation

The growing interest in Arctic areas, both from professionals and tourists, is a challenge for the health care system in areas suffering from extreme weather conditions, long distances and poor communication network coverage. Offering adequate health care services for people who live in these Arctic areas might be very difficult in part of the year. Access to medical services, in particular spe...

متن کامل

Feasibility Study for the Establishment of Telemedicine: A Review Study and a Suggestion for Iran

Introduction: Telemedicine is considered as an integral part of the management of health care services and health information systems. This study aimed to review the studies on the goals and applications of telemedicine in different countries and to present a suggestion for the health system of Iran. Method: In this systemic study using keywords of tele-medicine, electronic health، tele health,...

متن کامل

Telemedicine for general practice: a systematic review protocol

BACKGROUND The use of information technology in healthcare is fast becoming an alternative and supporting method of providing many forms of services in a healthcare and health management setting. Telephone technology is used readily to deliver services such as disease management, consultations and behaviour coaching. Telemedicine provides a promising alternative and supporting service for face-...

متن کامل

Telemedicine: an Essential Requirement for the Health Care Providers, with Emphasis on Legal Aspects

Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. These technologies allow communications between patient and medical staff with convenience as well as the transmission of medical, imaging and health informatics data from one site to another. It is also used to save lives in critical care and emergency situations. A...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • JMIR medical informatics

دوره 5 2  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2017