02566nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001260002200042653003400064653003400098653002300132653001800155100001200173700001100185700001300196245007200209856006700281300002000348490000600368520194900374022002502323       2022                            d  bSAGE Publications10aHealth Information Management10aComputer Science Applications10aHealth Informatics10aHealth Policy1 aNcube B1 aMars M1 aScott RE00aTelemedicine options to address identified health needs in Botswana  uhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/20552076221102768  a2055207622110270 v83 a<p>Objective Global efforts to implement national ehealth strategies have occurred, yet specific telemedicine implementations have fallen behind. A weakness inherent within many, perhaps most, national ehealth strategies, including Botswana's – is a lack of telemedicine focus. This is despite its potential to address many current healthcare system needs. The development of a telemedicine-specific strategy, to complement the existing ehealth strategy, has been proposed. This paper reports on an emulated process to determine prioritised health needs, identify broad solutions, consider ehealth and then telemedicine solutions, and prioritise these as insight for telemedicine-specific strategy development. Methods The eHealth Strategy Development Framework (eHSDF) was adopted and steps 5–7 were emulated. Key informants participated in telephone-based semi-structured interviews in November 2020, using a key informant interview guide. Participants were asked specific questions related to national health needs, proposed solutions, and prioritisation. The interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis. Results Eleven key informants identified the top five perceived health issues as human resource shortages, congestion and overcrowding, prevalence of diseases, poor referral system, and lack of diagnostic and case management skills. Solutions were proposed, some of which included: Telehealth (including telemedicine), health informatics, and elearning. Telemedicine solutions included: a health professional help desk, teleconsultations, and apps for specialist referral. eLearning solutions were training, mentoring, and continuing professional development. Conclusion A telemedicine-specific strategy, addressing the identified health issues and aligned to the existing national ehealth strategy, would provide the required focus to enable the development and deployment of telemedicine activities in the country.</p>
  a2055-2076, 2055-2076