J Med Syst
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This paper reviews the literature on the use of collaborative technologies by healthcare teams between 1980 and 2003. Multiple databases were searched with explicit inclusion criteria that yielded 17 conceptual and empirical papers. The discussions of these literatures centered on the individual, team, and technological dimensions of collaborative technology use within healthcare teams. ⋯ The limited number of research studies accentuates the need for additional research in this area. Future research should focus on defining team tasks; determining which type of groupware works for a particular health setting; and exploring the effects of groupware on patient care delivery and the organization. Without research in these areas, it will be difficult to harness the full advantages of using groupware technologies by collaborative healthcare teams.
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In this study, telemedicine and the use of advanced telemedicine technologies are explained. Telemedicine is the use of modern telecommunications and information technologies for the provision of clinical care to individuals at a distance, and transmission of information to provide that care. Telemedicine can be used for decision making, remote sensing, and collaborative arrangements for the real-time management of patients at a distance. ⋯ The challenges existing in telemedicine development in different countries are given. Technological, political, and professional barriers in applications of telemedicine are defined. An investigation of telemedicine applications in various fields is presented, and enormous impact of telemedicine systems on the future of medicine is determined.
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Following a brief review of lessons learned from first generation telemedicine projects, an analytical framework for assessing the potential effects of telemedicine on cost, quality, and accessibility of health care is provided. It is proposed that the effects of telemedicine on cost, quality, and accessibility are interconnected, and a comprehensive assessment should incorporate all three aspects, each considered from the perspectives of clients, providers, and society.
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Telecommunications from telephone and radio to two-way audio, video, facsimile (fax), and digital imaging via satellite transmission have been used in responses to disasters. Current and rapidly emerging communications technology offers the prospect of enormously expanded and more efficient application in predisaster, acute, and postdisaster rehabilitation activities. ⋯ Attention will also focus on telemedicine in education and training, disaster response exercises, development of comprehensive plans, and research. Finally, the essential relationship between the routine utilization of telemedicine in predisaster health care and effective employment in disaster situations will be discussed.
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As health care providers seek ways to reduce the cost of health care services, hospital operating rooms (ORs) have been identified as potential areas for cost reduction efforts. Cost containment efforts which have shifted significant portions of the inpatient population to ambulatory areas have resulted in an inpatient population which is sicker and more procedure-intensive. Efficient management of operating rooms has assumed even greater importance in this environment. ⋯ This software provides detailed information for daily OR management and long-term planning. The computerized operating room scheduling and monitoring system is described in this article and an operational measure of scheduling accuracy is proposed. Suggestions are made for incorporating this measure into planning and allocation decisions.