Prospective case review of a global e-health system for doctors in developing countries

Wootton, R, Youngberry, K, Swinfen, P and Swinfen, R (2004) Prospective case review of a global e-health system for doctors in developing countries. Journal of Telemedicine And Telecare, 10 Suppl. 1: S94-S96.


Author Wootton, R
Youngberry, K
Swinfen, P
Swinfen, R
Title Prospective case review of a global e-health system for doctors in developing countries
Journal name Journal of Telemedicine And Telecare  (ERA 2012 Listed)    (ERA 2010 Rank B)   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2004
Sub-type Article
Volume number 10
Issue number Suppl. 1
ISSN 1357-633X
Start page S94
End page S96
Total pages 3
Editor R. Wootton
Place of publication London
Publisher The Royal Society of Medicine Press
Collection year 2004
Language eng
Subject C1
329999 Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified
730399 Health and support services not elsewhere classified
Abstract The Swinfen Charitable Trust has managed email consultations for doctors in developing countries since 1999. The process was handled manually for the first three years and then subsequently using an automatic message-handling system. We conducted a prospective review of email consultations between referring doctors and consulting specialists during six months of automatic operation (December 2003 to May 2004). During the study period 125 consultations took place. These concerned a wide range of specialties (e.g. orthopaedics 17%, dermatology 16%, obstetrics and gynaecology 11%, radiology 10%). Of these referrals, 33% (41) were for paediatric cases. Consulting specialists, who were based in five countries, were volunteers. Referring doctors were from 24 hospitals in 12 developing countries. The median time from referral to definitive reply was 1.5 days (interquartile range 0.6-4.9). There was an 85% response rate (n = 106) to a survey concerning the value of the consultation to the referring doctor. All the referring doctors who responded made positive comments about the service and half said that it improved their management of the case. The second-opinion consultation system operated by the Swinfen Charitable Trust represents an example of a global e-health system operated for altruistic, rather than commercial, reasons.
Keyword Health Care Sciences & Services
Telemedicine
Q-Index Code C1

 
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