Telemedicine in Dentistry, Lessons to be Learned: A Case Study

Most of the telemedicine projects do not pass the pilot stage. A comprehensive evaluation of telemedicine pilot projects is needed in order to improve their success rate and to create a knowledge base for future projects. In this paper we address this issue through the study case on a pilot teledentistry project with 5 different implementation sites. A literature review of teledentistry and telemedicine in general, points towards a rather one sided approach when evaluating these projects. The organizational aspect does not seem to be a priority in these evaluations while we consider its crucial impact on project’s continuity and adoption. To support this assumption we use a healthcare information systems implementation perspective which allowed us to assess the adoption barriers for the teledentistry pilot. We make assumptions on how it could be used for telemedicine pilots and for telemedicine projects in general. We have collected data using qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and non participant observation of teledentistry activities and meetings related to the project. After drawing the dental teleconsultation process and observing that most of it turns around electronic medical records(EMR) we focused to identify all potential adoption barriers and linking them with the list of EMR adoption barriers by Paré et al. (2014). We have identified 23 adoption barriers for teledentristry: 4 in 5/5 implementation sites, 1 in 4/5 sites, 6 in 3/5 sites, 2 in 2/5 sites and 10 in 1/5 sites. Out of the 23 teledentistry adoption barriers, 17 have been linked with EMR adoption barriers. By adding the remaining 6 items to the EMR adoption barriers list and adapting the items to the telemedicine context we propose a telemedicine pilot project adoption barriers list

Telemedicine project evaluation 2.0: structuring the evidence base

International audienc

Assessing Patient’s Perception of Oral Teleconsultation.

International audienceObjectives: The evaluation of telemedicine from the patient’s point of view has focused on the patient pathway and patient satisfaction. However, research in this field does not provide us with the means to assess a patient’s perception of the procedure if their reasoning ability is impaired. In this study, we use direct observation of a patient’s behavior and mood to assess their perception of an oral teleconsultation procedure.Methods: This study has been conducted in the context of a pilot project using an asynchronous teleconsultation to improve access to dental care for the dependent elderly, disabled people, and prisoners, some of whom may be cognitively impaired. We use a direct observation form consisting of five behavioral variables and eight affect variables to reflect the patient’s experience of the oral teleconsultation procedure.Results: A total of 135 patients were evaluated; 10 refused the procedure. Psychotic patients (n = 33) had a somewhat negative experience during the oral teleconsultation procedure. Patients who were not psychotic had a positive experience; this decreased as we moved from the autonomous to the semi-autonomous and then to the dependent sub-group. Some gender differences were also noted.Conclusions: Improving evidence on evaluating the acceptance of the cognitively impaired is required to improve the technology development process so that it can be translated into an improved patient experience and adherence. Although the study was specifically focused on teledentistry, the approach described in this study could be adapted to other forms of teleconsultation

Towards FAIR nanosafety data

International audienceThe proposal of a FAIR-aligned Nanosafety Data Interface can advance findability, accessibility and interoperability across physicochemical, bio-nano interaction, human toxicity, omics, ecotoxicological and exposure data. Nanotechnology is a key enabling technology with billions of euros in global investment from public funding, which include large collaborative projects that have investigated environmental and health safety aspects of nanomaterials, but the reuse of accumulated data is clearly lagging behind. Here we summarize challenges and provide recommendations for the efficient reuse of nanosafety data, in line with the recently established FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) guiding principles. We describe the FAIR-aligned Nanosafety Data Interface, with an aggregated findability, accessibility and interoperability across physicochemical, bio-nano interaction, human toxicity, omics, ecotoxicological and exposure data. Overall, we illustrate a much-needed path towards standards for the optimized use of existing data, which avoids duplication of efforts, and provides a multitude of options to promote safe and sustainable nanotechnology