Conducting a Telehealth Needs Assessment

Abstract

This chapter is organized in a step-by-step manner that will lead readers through the process of conducting an initial assessment of needs to inform telehealth program development. As the name suggests, a needs assessment defines the specific needs of a target population and program, while identifying potentially inaccurate assumptions regarding the value, purpose, or intent of establishing new services. We start by discussing why the process is essential to developing successful telehealth programming regardless of scale. We then review a streamlined approach based on an example of a psychologist who is the mental health manager of a small rural clinic interested in establishing limited clinical videoconferencing (CV) services. This example is included to keep the first pass of material as simple and accessible as possible. The chapter then covers another scenario with greater scope and complexity by focusing on the perspective of a director of telehealth who is tasked with implementing telehealth programs across a large hospital system.

Conclusion

While the field of telehealth continues to change rapidly through new developments in technology, regulation and reimbursement , the value of a well planned and executed needs assessment will most likely persist. Despite the changing landscape of telehealth, the basic process of identifying the needs of a population and developing services to respond to those needs is foundational for implementation. We are moving into a future with new and emerging technologies for extending the reach of clinicians and connecting them with patients. Doing a proper needs assessment to select the optimal telehealth solution may become even more relevant in this future. In addition, more data is being collected through electronic medical records , email and text, social networking forums and mobile applications . Given this increased scope and quantity of data, perhaps some of the tools we use to collect and analyze data may change or become more automated. As clinical videoconferencing becomes more ubiquitous, there may be less legal and reimbursement issues to navigate, and less effort expended on convincing providers and patients to be early adopters. Even so, given the ever increasing cost and myriad of choices in healthcare, assessing the most pressing needs of patients and providers by using a strategy to prioritize needs and possible solutions will continue to be an essential function for telehealth in the coming years.