Developing a tool for prioritisation of different telemedicine applications for the large-scale implementation of telemedicine in Western Australia

Kambiz Bahaadinbeigy

Research output: ThesisDoctoral Thesis

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Abstract

[Truncated abstract] Western Australia (WA) is the largest state of Australia, with an area ten times larger than that of the United Kingdom (UK). As many studies conducted around the world have demonstrated that telemedicine could have a significant impact on referral patterns from remote regions to main cities, telemedicine could assist the WA Department of Health address the problem of providing health care to the rural and remote communities in this state. While there has been rapid growth in telemedicine activity in WA over the last decade, this modality is still young, and a large-scale implementation plan for the development of telemedicine in the state is required. Although a wide range of medical specialties can be delivered via telemedicine networks, such as teledermatology, teleophthalmology, and telepsychiatry, in practice, it is likely that funding limitations for the development of telemedicine in WA means that choices will have to be made. This thesis sets out a rational and transparent method for making these choices. There are many well accepted monetary-based tools for decision making in a health care setting, such as cost effective and cost benefit analysis. However, the complicated nature of telemedicine systems means that several other aspects should also be taken into account in decision making, rather than relying on financial criteria alone. This thesis reviewed a wide range of tools for decision making in a health care setting, and found that Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) would be the most appropriate method to apply to prioritising telemedicine in WA. MCDA is a well known and well accepted decision making tool, but with limited prior application in health care.
Original languageEnglish
QualificationDoctor of Philosophy
Publication statusUnpublished - 2010

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