Evaluation of a Remote Training Approach for Teaching Seniors to Use a Telehealth System
By Lai, Albert M.; Kaufman, David R.; Starren, Justin; Shea, Steven; IDEATel Consortium; International Journal of Medical Informatics, Volume 78, Number 11Publication Date: November 2009
Study evaluated a tool for remote training of patients in a telemedicine environment. The tool, called REmote Patient Education in a Telemedicine Environment (REPETE), was implemented and evaluated in the context of the IDEATel project, which focused on Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes in medically underserved areas of New York State. Participants were 10 diabetes patients with a mean age of 73.8 years, 8 of whom were women. Participants received a home telemedicine unit (HTU), which is a custom computer that connects to the Internet using a dialup networking over a telephone line and provides the following functions: (1) synchronous videoconferencing, (2) electronic transmission of finger-stick glucose and blood pressure readings, (3) secure messaging, (4) web based review of the patient’s clinical data, and (5) access to web based educational materials. In addition, participants had regular televisits with nurse case managers. Training effectiveness was evaluated using a measure of web skills competency, a user satisfaction survey, a cognitive task analysis, and an interaction analysis. Study results revealed that patients not only reported the training to be beneficial, but also showed significant improvements in their ability to effectively perform tasks. Qualitative evaluations scrutinizing the interaction between trainer and patient showed that while there was a learning curve for both patient and trainer when negotiating the shared workspace, the mutually visible pointer used in REPETE enhanced the computer mediated instruction.
Published by: Elsevier Inc. (Website:http://www.elsevier.com)
Link to text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2757535/?tool=pmcentrez
