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Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
8-2002
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Communication
Major Professor
Carol Tenopir
Committee Members
Susan Dimmick, Gretchen Whitney, Herbert Howard, Samiel Burgiss
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to make recommendations for a sustainable telemedicine system by examining the structural attributes of telemedicine across and within different types of organizations. A survey instrument with two categories, background questions and evaluation questions, was developed and used as a guide to interview eight key informants from four different types of telehealth systems. The eight transcribed interviews were coded using NUD*IST qualitative software. Research publications, archival documents, and government reports were collected to triangulate, or cross check, interview data. Multi-case study methodology was used as a guide to design the research, analyze date, compare results, and make recommendations. A telehealth typology is proposed as well as a simplified conceptual telehealth model and a diffusion of telemedicine model. While there are some structural differences among the different types of programs, there are many more similarities. All receive funding fiom multiple sources, and all employ a combination of full and part-time employees. Three core staff categories include administrative, medical, and technical support. Additional categories may include evaluation researchers and project coordinators.
Recommended Citation
Welsh, Teresa Smith, "Organizational structure of telehealth care : an examination of four types of telemedicine systems. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2002.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/6347