A Needs Assessment of a South Pacific Telehealth Project

The inclusion of a needs assessment prior to the development of a telehealth service allows for the views of those using the service to be voiced and increases the likelihood of developing a service that meets the needs of the users. One of the most important issues to come out of this study is the need for the inclusion of all disciplines of health care staff in the initial and ongoing stages of the implementation of a telehealth service in the South Pacific. This is particularly pertinent in an environment of foreign aid funding where money wasted on failed projects frustrates local health care staff considerably. The researcher found qualitative data methods appropriate for the design of such a study. The implementation of a telehealth service in the South Pacific will provide better quality healthcare to a wider geographical area but initial and ongoing costs are high due to the relative expense and poor technical quality of existing telecommunications and Internet services. Telecommunications and electrical infrastructure and local technical expertise are likely to be the most significant hindrance to the implementation of a telehealth service throughout the South Pacific.