Broadband for Telemedicine and Health Services

Abstract

Given the prominence of rural communities in early 21st-century broadband initiatives, especially in telemedicine, this chapter considers issues for program evaluation in both the geographic and health policy contexts. Rural broadband and health needs are important challenges for public policy, as less populated regions lag in both infrastructure and health services. Some Federal Communications Commission projects have linked broadband capabilities and health services infrastructure. Electronic health records also are relevant to a discussion of the role of broadband networks. This chapter briefly reviews the language and intent of broadband-related health services regulations and federal agency programs and then presents detail on rural broadband availability and adoption. Finally, measurement and evaluation issues in this field are addressed, including the need to understand constraints in the rural context, meaningful use for target populations, issues for privacy and security, and the need for randomized trials rather than the anecdotal evidence that currently dominates in this area.