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Telehealth

Guest Editors:
Bassey Ebenso: University of Leeds, UK
Hao Xue: Stanford University, USA


TelehealthTelehealth is an exciting area of research that, to a great extent, is transforming healthcare and contributing to achieving universal health coverage by improving access (for patients) to quality and cost-effective health services wherever they may be. In support of the rapid progress being made in the telehealth research field, the new launch journal BMC Digital Health, and BMC Health Services Research, jointly ran a collection on Telehealth.

BMC Digital Health considered submissions covering: 

  • Technological developments for providing telehealth
  • Clinical trials of new digital health technologies

BMC Health Services Research considered submissions covering: 

  • Telehealth user perspectives
  • Real-world application and implementation of telehealth technologies in health services

Meet the Guest Editors

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Dr. Bassey Ebenso: University of Leeds, UK

Bassey EbensoA medical doctor and interdisciplinary researcher, Bassey has over 30 years of experience in global health focusing on health policy and systems strengthening in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). He spent his early scientific career in management positions in disease control programs in West Africa, including working as a country director for an international organization. He later joined the University of Leeds, focussing on addressing global health challenges and making healthcare fairer through developing collaborative health services research programs with partners from African and Asian countries. A stream of Bassey’s work involves understanding how implementing digital health strategies can strengthen health systems in LMICs to expand access to healthcare services and improve health outcomes.

Dr. Hao Xue: Stanford University, USA

Hao XueHao Xue is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar for the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions (SCCEI) at Stanford University. He focuses on digital health and primary care quality in developing countries. As a health economist, he led randomized experiments and large-scale population-based surveys to design and evaluate innovative approaches to quality healthcare through digital technologies.

About the collection

TelehealthTelehealth is an exciting area of research that, to a great extent, is transforming healthcare and contributing to achieving universal health coverage by improving access (for patients) to quality and cost-effective health services wherever they may be. Telehealth is the provision of healthcare remotely by means of telecommunications technologies. It is a broad discipline with multiple stakeholders, including clinicians and researchers with expertise in diverse areas, such as healthcare, public health, data technologies, health informatics, and biomedical engineering. 

The terms telemedicine and telehealth are often used interchangeably. Telemedicine refers to the practice of medicine (i.e. diagnosis and treatment of patients) using technology to deliver care to a patient at a distant site. For the purpose of this collection, telehealth is an umbrella term for all components and activities of healthcare and the healthcare system that are conducted through electronic and telecommunications technologies. Examples of telehealth activities and applications that go beyond remote clinical care include healthcare education, health information services, self-care, wearable devices that record and transmit vital signs, and provider-to-provider remote communication.

Technologies currently being deployed for telehealth include mHealth (or mobile health), video and audio technologies, digital photography, remote patient monitoring (RPM), store-and-forward technologies, and streaming media.

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly made telehealth developments even more important, and the delivery of healthcare via telehealth-based services has increased rapidly as a way of delivering care services while minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

In support of the rapid progress being made in the telehealth research field, the new launch journal BMC Digital Health, and BMC Health Services Research, will jointly run a collection on the topic of Telehealth. Both journals will consider Research Articles, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. 

BMC Digital Health will consider submissions covering: 

  • Technological developments for providing telehealth
  • Clinical trials of new digital health technologies

BMC Health Services Research will consider submissions covering: 

  • Telehealth user perspectives
  • Real-world application and implementation of telehealth technologies in health services

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  1. Although lung cancer screening (LCS) for high-risk individuals reduces lung cancer mortality in clinical trial settings, many questions remain about how to implement high-quality LCS in real-world programs. Wi...

    Authors: Christine S. Shusted, Hee-Soon Juon, Brooke Ruane, Brian Till, Charnita Zeigler-Johnson, Russell K. McIntire, Tyler Grenda, Olugbenga Okusanya, Nathaniel R. Evans, Gregory C. Kane and Julie A. Barta
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:1179
  2. The medical field is in the midst of a massive expansion in telemedical services. However, it is not possible to say to what extent telemedical offerings can be designed to meet needs in the German healthcare ...

    Authors: Sascha Hoffmann, Julia Beissner, Rebekka Hieber, Johann Jacoby, Tobias Engler and Christina Barbara Walter
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:1168
  3. This study evaluated an attempt to implement video consultations through a novel education intervention in telehealth training and implementation in two middle-sized hospitals in Denmark. Three units tested th...

    Authors: Susanne Eriksen, Anne Marie Dahler and Christine Øye
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:1135
  4. The Covid-19 pandemic provided new challenges and opportunities for patients and healthcare providers while accelerating the trend of digital healthcare transformation. This study explores the perspectives of ...

    Authors: Grazia Antonacci, Elisabetta Benevento, Sveva Bonavitacola, Lorella Cannavacciuolo, Emanuela Foglia, Giulia Fusi, Elisabetta Garagiola, Cristina Ponsiglione and Alessandro Stefanini
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:1115
  5. Understanding perceptions of telehealth  implementation from patients and providers can improve the utility and sustainability of these programs, particularly in under-resourced rural settings. The purpose of ...

    Authors: David Klee, Derek Pyne, Joshua Kroll, William James and Kelly A. Hirko
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:981
  6. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, heart failure (HF) disease management programmes were predominantly delivered in-person, with telemedicine being uncommon. Covid-19 resulted in a rapid shift to “remote-by-defau...

    Authors: Arvind Singhal, Jillian P. Riley and Martin R. Cowie
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:847
  7. Detailed community-based perspectives on patient experiences with telemedicine are currently lacking, yet essential to assess clinical applicability of telemedicine during and beyond pandemics, alike COVID-19....

    Authors: Marije J. Splinter, M. Kamran Ikram, Charles W. Helsper, Patrick J.E. Bindels, Evelien I.T. de Schepper and Silvan Licher
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:803
  8. Quality improvement (QI) programs with technology implementations have been introduced to long-term care (LTC) to improve residents’ quality of life. Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is commonly adopted in QI pr...

    Authors: Joey Wong, Erika Young, Lillian Hung, Jim Mann and Lynn Jackson
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:772
  9. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns accelerated the uptake of remote services, however, the integration of teleaudiology into regular clinical practice has been slow, with audiologists reporting...

    Authors: Nicky Chong-White, Paola Incerti, Marisa Poulos and Joseph Tagudin
    Citation: BMC Digital Health 2023 1:24
  10. A broad-based international shift to virtual care models over recent years has accelerated following COVID-19. Although there are increasing numbers of studies and reviews, less is known about clinicians’ and ...

    Authors: Robyn Clay-Williams, Peter Hibbert, Ann Carrigan, Natalie Roberts, Elizabeth Austin, Diana Fajardo Pulido, Isabelle Meulenbroeks, Hoa Mi Nguyen, Mitchell Sarkies, Sarah Hatem, Katherine Maka, Graeme Loy and Jeffrey Braithwaite
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:724
  11. Telehealth can improve access to evidence-based care at a lower cost for patients, especially those living in underserved and remote areas. The barriers to the widespread adoption of telehealth have been well ...

    Authors: Md Jillur Rahim, Pallavi Ghosh, Anne E. Brisendine, Nianlan Yang, Ryan Roddy, Mia J. Broughton, Alexis Kinzer, Martha Slay Wingate and Bisakha Sen
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:693
  12. The beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic has forced many hospital departments worldwide to implement telehealth strategies for the first time. Telehealth represents the opportunity to increase value for all stak...

    Authors: Elisabetta Listorti, Lucia Ferrara, Antonella Adinolfi, Maria Chiara Gerardi, Nicola Ughi, Valeria D. Tozzi and Oscar M. Epis
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:682
  13. Adolescents and young adults are a diverse patient population with unique healthcare needs including sensitive and confidential services. Many clinics serving this population began offering telemedicine during...

    Authors: Angela Barney, Sabrina Mendez-Contreras, Nancy K. Hills, Sara M. Buckelew and Marissa Raymond-Flesch
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:680
  14. Deaf signing populations face inequality in both access to health services and health outcomes. Telemedicine intervention might offer a potential solution to address these inequalities in mental health and hea...

    Authors: Katherine Rogers, Karina Lovell and Alys Young
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:678
  15. Physical therapy services delivered remotely are becoming more common. The purpose was to summarize the acceptability and patient-centeredness of remotely delivered physical therapy.

    Authors: Daniel I. Rhon, Danielle N. Anderson, Lisa N. Konitzer, Bryan B. Pickens, Eliza B. Szymanek, Rachel J. Mayhew, Mary C. Laugesen and Tina A. Greenlee
    Citation: BMC Digital Health 2023 1:21
  16. There is a need to evaluate if and how telerehabilitation approaches might co-exist within healthcare in the long-term. Our aim was to implement and evaluate a multidisciplinary group-based telerehabilitation ...

    Authors: Suzanne Ackerley, Neil Wilson, Paul Boland, Jessica Read and Louise Connell
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:671
  17. China has empowered and continues to empower internet hospitals, which saw an increase in their development due to the pandemic, to fight against COVID-19. The construction and operational models of internet h...

    Authors: Xuejiao Chen, Xinxia Wu, Qihang Zhang, Ran Jing, Weibin Cheng, Junzhang Tian and Changxiao Jin
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:669
  18. In Uganda, limited healthcare access has created a significant burden for patients living with heart failure. With the increasing use of mobile phones, digital health tools could offer an accessible platform f...

    Authors: Sahr Wali, Isaac Ssinabulya, Cinderella Ngonzi Muhangi, Jenipher Kamarembo, Jenifer Atala, Martha Nabadda, Franklin Odong, Ann R. Akiteng, Heather Ross, Angela Mashford-Pringle, Joseph A. Cafazzo and Jeremy I. Schwartz
    Citation: BMC Digital Health 2023 1:20
  19. Remote mental health consultations were swiftly implemented across mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has begun to inform future design and delivery of telemental health services. Ex...

    Authors: Emer Galvin, Shane Desselle, Blánaid Gavin, Etain Quigley, Mark Flear, Ken Kilbride, Fiona McNicholas, Shane Cullinan and John Hayden
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:623
  20. The Support through Mobile Messaging and digital health Technology for Diabetes (SuMMiT-D) project has developed, and is evaluating, a mobile phone-based intervention delivering brief messages targeting identi...

    Authors: Karen Butler, Yvonne Kiera Bartlett, Nikki Newhouse, Andrew Farmer, David P. French, Cassandra Kenning, Louise Locock, Rustam Rea, Veronika Williams and Jenny Mc Sharry
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:614
  21. This is a qualitative feasibility study of the Child in Context Intervention (CICI). The CICI is an individualized, goal-oriented and home-based tele-rehabilitation intervention which targets everyday function...

    Authors: Edel Jannecke Svendsen, Eli Marie Killi, Nina Rohrer-Baumgartner, Ingvil Laberg Holthe, Maria Sandhaug, Ida M. H. Borgen, Shari L. Wade, Solveig Laegreid Hauger, Marianne Løvstad and Line Kildal Bragstad
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:603
  22. Adequate health care in correctional facilities is often limited by staff shortage, which entails time-consuming consultations with physicians outside of these facilities. Video consultations (VC) have been im...

    Authors: Miriam Giovanna Colombo, Stefanie Joos and Roland Koch
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:578
  23. The Austria-Slovenian project REHA2030, with a broad spectrum of expertise, was focused on making the process of telerehabilitation (TR) possible as valuable user-centred post-clinical rehabilitation of stroke...

    Authors: Sascha H. Fink, Jitka Bonková Sýkorová, Lukas Wohofsky and Daniela Krainer
    Citation: BMC Digital Health 2023 1:19
  24. The availability of low-cost computing and digital telecommunication in the 1980s made telehealth practicable. Telehealth has the capacity to improve healthcare access and outcomes for patients while reducing ...

    Authors: Jonathan Kissi, Caleb Annobil, Nathan Kumasenu Mensah, Joseph Owusu-Marfo, Ernest Osei and Zenobia Wooduwa Asmah
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:567
  25. During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care had to find new ways to care for patients while reducing infection transmission. The role of telemedicine role has grown exponentially.

    Authors: Morag Tolvi, Lotta-Maria Oksanen, Lasse Lehtonen, Ahmed Geneid, Pia Männikkö, Hellevi Ruokonen, Anna Majander, Susan Arminen and Leena-Maija Aaltonen
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:483
  26. Developing and implementing home telehealth (HTH) services for patients with chronic conditions is a challenge. HTH services provide continuous and integrated care to patients, but very often pilot projects fa...

    Authors: Carla Sacchi, Karolina Andersson, Marta Roczniewska, Jamie Linnéa Luckhaus, Moa Malmqvist, Lars Peter Rodmalm, Karin Lodin, Rebecca Mosson, Petra Danapfel, Carolina Wannheden and Pamela Mazzocato
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:463
  27. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects health care services. Our aim was to assess health care disruptions, treatment interruptions, and telemedicine reception regarding autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD...

    Authors: Faisal Parlindungan, Sumariyono Sumariyono, Rudy Hidayat, Suryo Anggoro Kusumo Wibowo, Anna Ariane, Johanda Damanik, Abirianty Priandani Araminta and Khadijah Cahya Yunita
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:451
  28. Telehealth rapidly expanded since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to understand how telehealth can substitute in-person services by 1) estimating the changes in non-COVID emergency depar...

    Authors: Ying (Jessica) Cao, Dandi Chen and Maureen Smith
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:426
  29. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of telehealth consultations by telephone and video around the world. While telehealth can improve access to primary health care, there are significant gaps in our unders...

    Authors: Supriya Mathew, Michelle S. Fitts, Zania Liddle, Lisa Bourke, Narelle Campbell, Lorna Murakami-Gold, Deborah J Russell, John S. Humphreys, Edward Mullholand, Yuejen Zhao, Michael P. Jones, John Boffa, Mark Ramjan, Annie Tangey, Rosalie Schultz and John Wakerman
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:341
  30. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic forced healthcare workers to use alternative consultation approaches. In general practice, the use of video consultations (VCs) increased manyfold as countries were locked...

    Authors: Magnus Repstad Wanderås, Eirik Abildsnes, Elin Thygesen and Santiago Gil Martinez
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:316
  31. Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM) have gained attention worldwide. Latin America experienced a rise in rates of DM. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a telemedicine program was implemented in...

    Authors: Luz Angela Casas, Juliana Alarcón, Alejandra Urbano, Evelyn E. Peña-Zárate, Saveria Sangiovanni, Laura Libreros-Peña and María Fernanda Escobar
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:314
  32. Virtual care has become an increasingly useful tool for the virtual delivery of care across the globe. With the unexpected emergence of COVID-19 and ongoing public health restrictions, it has become evident th...

    Authors: Kayla M. Fitzpatrick, Meagan Ody, Danika Goveas, Stephanie Montesanti, Paige Campbell, Kathryn MacDonald, Lynden Crowshoe, Sandra Campbell and Pamela Roach
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:303
  33. The use of telemedicine increased dramatically in nursing homes (NHs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the actual process of conducting a telemedicine encounter in NHs. The objectiv...

    Authors: James H Ford II, Sally A Jolles, Dee Heller and Christopher Crnich
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:301
  34. In July 2020, Mayo Clinic launched Advanced Care at Home (ACH), a high-acuity virtual hybrid hospital-at-home model (HaH) of care at Mayo Clinic Florida and Northwest Wisconsin, an urban destination medical ce...

    Authors: Margaret R. Paulson, Ricardo A. Torres-Guzman, Francisco R. Avila, Karla C. Maita, John P. Garcia, Antonio J. Forte, Gautam V. Matcha, Ricardo J. Pagan and Michael J. Maniaci
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:287
  35. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a local consortium in Uganda set up a telehealth approach that aimed to educate 3,500 Community Health Workers (CHW) in rural areas about COVID-19, help them identify, re...

    Authors: Maarten Olivier Kok, Tosca Terra, Raymond Tweheyo, Marinka van der Hoeven, Maiza Campos Ponce, Marceline Tutu van Furth and Elizeus Rutebemberwa
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:284
  36. The capacity to deliver essential health services has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly due to lockdown restrictions. Telemedicine provides a safe, efficient, and effective altern...

    Authors: Alicia Victoria G. Noceda, Lianne Margot M. Acierto, Morvenn Chaimek C. Bertiz, David Emmanuel H. Dionisio, Chelsea Beatrice L. Laurito, Girrard Alphonse T. Sanchez and Arianna Maever Loreche
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:277
  37. Contingency measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic limited access to routine prenatal care for pregnant women, increasing the risk of pregnancy complications due to poor prenatal follow-up, especially in those ...

    Authors: María Fernanda Escobar, Juan Carlos Gallego, María Paula Echavarria, Paula Fernandez, Leandro Posada, Shirley Salazar, Isabella Gutierrez and Juliana Alarcon
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:259
  38. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teleconsultations (TCs) have become common practice for many chronic conditions, including osteoporosis. While satisfaction with TCs among patients increases in times of emergency...

    Authors: Benedetta Pongiglione, Flaminia Carrone, Alessandra Angelucci, Gherardo Mazziotti and Amelia Compagni
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:230
  39. Physical activity and exercise play a key role in managing Parkinson disease. This study aimed to: 1) determine if physiotherapy supported by telehealth helped people with Parkinson disease (PwP) to adhere to ...

    Authors: Allyson Flynn, Elisabeth Preston, Sarah Dennis, Colleen G. Canning and Natalie E. Allen
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:224
  40. Telehealth usage has been promoted in all settings but has been identified as a panacea to issues of access and equity in the rural context. However, uptake and widespread integration of telehealth across all ...

    Authors: David Nelson, Maxime Inghels, Amanda Kenny, Steve Skinner, Tracy McCranor, Stephen Wyatt, Jaspreet Phull, Agnes Nanyonjo, Ojali Yusuff and Mark Gussy
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:200
  41. The availability and use of telehealth to support health care access from a distance has expanded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth services have supported regional and remote health care access...

    Authors: L. T. Thomas, C. M. Y. Lee, K. McClelland, G. Nunis, S. Robinson and R. Norman
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:182
  42. This study aimed to explore the perception of doctors regarding telemedicine consultations and the level of patient satisfaction with the services received through teleconsultations.

    Authors: Nainsi Gupta, Manoj Kumar Gupta, Nitin Kumar Joshi, Neha Mantri, G. Sridevi, Mamta Patel, Akhil Dhanesh Goel, Kuldeep Singh, M. K. Garg and Pankaj Bhardwaj
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:161
  43. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in an increase in telemedicine utilization for routine HIV care. However, there is limited information on perceptions of and experiences with telemedicine from United State...

    Authors: Daisy Walker, Corrina Moucheraud, Derrick Butler, Jerome de Vente, Kevin Tangonan, Steven Shoptaw, Judith S. Currier, Jay Gladstein and Risa Hoffman
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:156
  44. As providers look to scale high-acuity care in the patient home setting, hospital-at-home is becoming more prevalent. The traditional model of hospital-at-home usually relies on care delivery by in-home provid...

    Authors: Margaret R. Paulson, Eliza P. Shulman, Ajani N. Dunn, Jacey R. Fazio, Elizabeth B. Habermann, Gautam V. Matcha, Rozalina G. McCoy, Ricardo J. Pagan and Michael J. Maniaci
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:139
  45. Digitalization of health care has opened up for new ways to involve and engage patients. With this, increased attention has been put on digital patient portals. There exists some research on patient portals fo...

    Authors: Martine Stecher Nielsen, Aslak Steinsbekk and Torunn Hatlen Nøst
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:132
  46. Direct-to-consumer telemedicine (TM), with patients having access to a physician via video or text chat, has gradually been introduced into Swedish primary care during the last two decades. Earlier studies hav...

    Authors: Carl Rockler Meurling, Elisabet Adell, Moa Wolff, Susanna Calling, Veronica Milos Nymberg and Beata Borgström Bolmsjö
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:129
  47. The ATICA study was a Hybrid I type randomized effectiveness-implementation trial that demonstrated effectiveness of a multicomponent mHealth intervention (Up to four SMS messages sent to HPV-positive women, a...

    Authors: Cecilia Straw, Victoria Sanchez-Antelo, Racquel Kohler, Melisa Paolino, Kasisomayajula Viswanath and Silvina Arrossi
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2023 23:47
  48. One of the most pressing issues in our society is the provision of proper care and treatment for the growing global health challenge of ageing. Assistive Technology and Telecare (ATT) is a key component in fac...

    Authors: Lydia D. Boyle, Bettina S. Husebo and Maarja Vislapuu
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2022 22:1573
  49. To explore health care professionals’ (HCPs) perspectives, experiences and preferences towards digital technology use in routine palliative care delivery.

    Authors: Susann May, Dunja Bruch, Anne Gehlhaar, Felizitas Linderkamp, Kerstin Stahlhut, Martin Heinze, Matthew Allsop and Felix Muehlensiepen
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2022 22:1516
  50. Effective delivery of health services requires adequate quality in healthcare facilities and easy accessibility to health services physically or virtually. The purpose of this study was to reveal how the quali...

    Authors: Khanh Hung Le, Thi Xuan Phuong La and Markku Tykkyläinen
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2022 22:1374