Preliminary Evaluation of Selected Telecommunications Technologies for Medical Care Aboard Navy Ships
Abstract
This study demonstrates a method for ranking available telecommunication technologies in terms of relative perceived benefit. Fifteen technologies were rated on a 5-point Likert scale by 25 Independent Duty Corpsmen (IDCs) with experience aboard Navy surface ships. The IDCs rated the utility of the technologies with respect to 28 patient conditions. Each IDC was asked to complete 57 items. 25 items referred to routine diagnostic decisions, 7 involved acute diagnostic situations, and 25 concerned treatment decisions. Intraclass correlations, computed for each question, determined the degree of agreement among raters. Four patient conditions had reliable ratings for both acute diagnostic and treatment decisions, six other patient conditions showed acceptable reliability for treatment decisions, and three conditions were rated reliably for routine diagnostic decisions. Although complex technologies, such as the transmission of x-ray images, were rated as beneficial for diagnosing and treating some disorders (e.g., sprains and strains) it was found that fax machines and e-mail were more beneficial overall. The analysis showed that those technologies rated most beneficial for diagnosis also tended to be most beneficial for treatment. It is concluded that Navy telemedicine can be an effective tool when careful planning, suitable personnel training, and appropriate testing and evaluation procedures are in place.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 31, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA306018
Entities
People
- Dianna Pearsall
- Eleanor Gauker
- William Pugh
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center