Analysis of Requirements for Developing a Telehealth-Based Health Management Platform in Iran

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on Iran and numerous other nations, resulting in a surge in infections and fatalities. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, a range of policies and initiatives were enacted, including the deployment of telehealth services. This study aims to outline the requirements for establishing an all-encompassing platform capable of delivering telemedicine services in Iran.Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out using a researcher-made electronic questionnaire during the period of July to August 2022. All experts in the field of medical informatics and health information systems based in three provinces (Kermanshah, Kerman, and West Azerbaijan) were contacted to fill out the questionnaire, 15 participants completed and returned the questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS using descriptive statistics.Results: The requirements for the design and implementation of the systems could be divided into internal (technical and infrastructural, security-legal, and environmental), and external categories (technical and infrastructural, and security-legal). The majority of internal and external requirements were related to technical and infrastructure aspects, accounting for 83% and 95%, respectively.Conclusion: Telemedicine development tools are available to enhance healthcare services in Iran, but there is a need to strengthen the infrastructure and technical equipment to enable the utilization of this technology for improving therapeutic and educational objectives within the healthcare system.