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 PDF Version of Syllabus |
Local AudienceThis Syllabus has its genesis in the Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine (IDEATel) project. IDEATel is a federally funded demonstration project to implement and evaluate telemedicine as a strategy for delivering health care services (see Chapter 1). IDEATel involves the interaction of project-based nurse case managers with study patients and the physicians or primary care providers (PCPs) of these patients. This Syllabus is intended to be an information resource for these PCPs. It therefore includes descriptive information about the IDEATel project and how the project works from a technical perspective, as well as other information we hope will enable these PCPs to interact effectively with the project.
Wider Audience
The authors of this Syllabus believe that telemedicine has great promise as a mechanism for improving access to high quality care and potentially for improving quality of care, health outcomes, satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness. These beliefs are based on the potential of the technology and the perception that patients want the information and provider access that telemedicine and the world wide web offer. We also recognize that data from clinical trials and demonstration projects supporting this belief are, for the most part, still lacking. Nonetheless, this Syllabus is also intended for the wider audience of physicians, nurses, and primary care providers who see telemedicine as part of the future of health care and want a brief, practical overview.
Format
This Syllabus is formatted as an electronic resource. There are embedded links to additional documents and resources to support non-linear (problem solving) information seeking behavior. The Syllabus is also formatted as a linear printed document, organized into traditional chapters with subsections. However, even these subsections have been written with an electronic format in mind, such that the sections each have a header and fit onto a single screen. As a result the Syllabus is at an intermediate level of detail, which we believe is desirable. The Syllabus is intended as an overview rather than a definitive textbook or monograph. We hope it reaches the intended audience and achieves this goal.