Bmc Health Serv Res
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Bmc Health Serv Res · Oct 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialImpact of telehealth on general practice contacts: findings from the whole systems demonstrator cluster randomised trial.
Telehealth is increasingly used in the care of people with long term conditions. Whilst many studies look at the impacts of the technology on hospital use, few look at how it changes contacts with primary care professionals. The aim of this paper was to assess the impacts of home-based telehealth interventions on general practice contacts. ⋯ Telehealth did not appear associated with different levels of contact with general practitioners and practice nurses. We note that the way that telehealth impacts on primary care roles may be influenced by a number of other features in the health system. The challenge is to ensure that these systems lead to better integration of care than fragmentation.