Evaluation of an innovative telemedicine project - learning from the development and implementation process

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of the study was to identify what alternative type of strategy there may be suitable for evaluating an innovative telemedicine project that aims for sustainable use in complex and heterogeneous healthcare work practices.

Context: The study was based on the evaluation of a Danish research project, evaluating alternative cross-sectorial treatment offers for elderly acute ill medical patients. One of the treatment offers included telemedicine. In the project it was experienced a gap between the initial expectations and actual outcome, which led to that the evaluation approach was changed alongside with the project emerging.

Methods: The evaluation was carried through a narrative process analysis approach, where information system development was viewed as situated socio-technical change. Data was collected by reviewing relevant project documents and from qualitative semi-structured interviews.

Results/Discussion: The results showed that the development and implementation process had been complex and influenced by multi-dimensional elements, resulting in the shaping of the process being multifaceted. The study illustrated that it is not applicable to evaluate an innovative telemedicine project through a RCT design but instead research methods exploring the underlying processes of the socio-technical interaction must be addressed, helping to learn from the success and failures.