Global Diffusion of the Internet X: The Diffusion of Telemedicine in Ethiopia: Potential Benefits, Present Challenges, and Potential Factors

Delivery of healthcare services presents many challenges for governments in most developing countries. Some of these challenges include financial and human resources issues that might affect governments\u27 ability to manage and transform scarce resources to meet healthcare needs. Telemedicine, a healthcare delivery technology where physicians examine patients from distant locations using information technologies, is reported to be increasingly helpful in meeting the needs of the healthcare sector in developing nations such as those in sub-Saharan Africa. This conceptual study reports on the sectoral adoption of telemedicine in Ethiopia, a sub-Saharan African country. We examine the potential benefits of telemedicine diffusion in Ethiopia, addressing the country\u27s healthcare needs, and discussing the obstacles and challenges. Based on previous literature, as well as experiences drawn from other developing nations, we address three potential factors that could influence the diffusion of telemedicine in Ethiopia: active participation of institutions of higher education, Ethiopian foreign alliances, and government involvement. Although the initial successes are relatively small and involve isolated projects, they have been promising and have set the stage for researchers to investigate prevailing projects so as to gain better understanding of the aforementioned factors. Our study does not claim that telemedicine can solve all of Ethiopia\u27s medical challenges; however, we contend that it is a starting point to reach Africans that live in areas with limited medical facilities and personnel. Hence, our study could have far reaching implications as the world looks to help this country, and by extension, other developing countries, to overcome their medical challenges and join the information society

Using Multimedia Instructional Materials in MIS Classrooms: A Tutorial

Instructors typically communicate technical concepts to information systems (IS) students via lectures and textbooks. In some cases, instructors supplement this traditional approach with written case studies and projects. In this tutorial, we present a non-traditional approach that could be used to communicate technical, as well as non-technical, concepts to IS students - use of multimedia instructional materials. This article also provides practical advice on how to adapt and implement pedagogy that includes multimedia instructional materials in MIS classrooms. The instructional materials include multimedia case studies that communicate concepts such as choosing appropriate operating systems for specific purposes; understanding Internet and satellite technologies; and decision support and expert systems used to solve real-world problems. The purpose of this article is to present a step-by-step tutorial on using multimedia instructional materials in a typical IS class

Wireless Mesh Networks for Infrastructure Deficient Areas

International audienceProvision of internet access in infrastructure deficient areas is expected to bring profound economic and humanitarian benefit to developing countries. Notwithstanding, achieving this goal poses an economic and technical challenge. Due to technological and economical reasons cellular networks are regarded to be unable to deliver affordable distribution in the short term. Instead 802.11s wireless mesh networking standard is identified to be a more viable and affordable partial solution to deliver broadband internet in the periphery of developing countries. A general focus is the individual incentive to participate in a mesh network rather than reliance on organisational bodies. This paper designs an architecture and business model for a low cost, low range distribution of internet access. The technical architecture is evaluated using simulation and is found to be viable, but demands optimisation