Challenges of Implementing Telemedicine Technology: A systematized Review.

Abstract

Background: Today, the technologies in the world are rapidly evolving, and global infrastructure of information is spreading rapidly. The health system of different countries is facing a variety of challenges in order to apply telemedicine services. The aim of this study was to determine the challenges facing the health system of different countries in the application of telemedicine.

Method: The present research was conducted in 2022 as a systematized review of studies related to challenges of telemedicine. In this study, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) and Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) guidelines were used to assess the articles. The keywords "telemedicine," "telehealth," "E-health," and "tele care" were used in combination with the Boolean operators OR and AND. The ISI Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Ovid, Pro Quest, Wiley, and Google Scholar were searched.

Results: In this study, based on the search strategy, databases were searched from January 2012 to January 2022, and in the final stage, analysis was performed on 27 selected identified articles. The use of telemedicine technology faced major formality and legality, required bandwidth, development of multilingual systems, economic efficiency, available patterns, payment for services, moral barriers, social status, differences and national and legal contradictions in the world, lack of insurance coverage challenges, and so on. Recognizing gaps and challenges can provide a way to fill these gaps and create opportunities for improvement.

Conclusions: Utilizing telemedicine technology can be considered as an effective step in the health system. This technology has weaknesses that may challenge it. Successful application of telemedicine technology cannot be very effective without removing these barriers.