Telemedicine: as the technology has matured, how have the technology management challenges changed?

Abstract

In contrast to telemedicine's resurgence in the 1990s, technology is no longer perceived as a barrier to the successful deployment and utilisation of telemedicine. Yet there are reasons to believe that this perception is inaccurate. Drawing on a study of two active telemedicine networks, one of which was studied at two points in time nearly a decade apart, this research examines how technology management challenges to telemedicine have changed and how they impact its deployment and utilisation. The findings indicate that not only do previously identified technology management challenges related to lack of end-user training, and remote site technology support and infrastructure thought effectively addressed still remain, but technology management issues centring around the relationships between the telehealth centers responsible for the technology and the various clinical units involved have become more critical. The importance of the social context in which such relationships exist is highlighted.