Author: Amanda Keenan
Keenan, Amanda, 2022 Promise and peril: applying ethical principles in telehealth practice to improve service delivery for clinicians and patients, Flinders University, College of Medicine and Public Health
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Telehealth practice is the provision of health services to patients by clinicians who are not in the same physical location, through utilisation of information and communications technology. Telehealth can provide benefits to patients, providers, and the health system holistically, through improved access, availability, and efficiency of quality health care, as a complement to face-to-face consultations. Aging populations, technological advancements and the advantages of telehealth are predominant drivers increasing investment and demand. The global COVID-19 pandemic has been a “gamechanger” for telehealth practice, as clinicians and patients sought safe ways to continue proving or accessing care.
Evaluations of telehealth programs have focussed on the “Promise” of telehealth – improved efficacy, efficiency, and clinical outcomes, ignoring or minimising the potential “Perils” – the potentially negative, harmful or unethical implications of service delivery
The central research question of this thesis is “How can applying ethical principles in telehealth practice improve service delivery for clinicians and patients? This question is answered using a mixed methods approach, combing a systematic review, a document analysis and a qualitative study of practitioners and patients. Beauchamp and Childress’ Principles of Biomedical Ethics (2013) framework was applied to define ethical principles and sub-themes.
Keywords: telehealth,ethics, telecare, telemedicine, telecare, ethical
Subject: Public Health thesis
Thesis type: Professional Doctorate
Completed: 2022
School: College of Medicine and Public Health
Supervisor: George Tsourtos