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.

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