Telemedicine Questionnaire

The Telemedicine Questionnaire

I would like to thank you in advance for filling out this questionnaire. Telemedicine, taken literally, is ‘medicine at a distance’ ('tele' being the Greek stem for distance). So, theoretically, anything to do with medicine that does not take place 'face to face' and 'in person' can be considered ‘telemedicine’.

You may have come across the term in your general reading or on the television. I am very interested in understanding your views about telemedicine, what you understand it to be, and its possible role in medical education and clinical care.

This is not a test, so don’t feel that you have to go away and read about the subject before filling in the questionnaire! It is your present state of knowledge and understanding of telemedicine that I am really interested in. Just answer honestly! If telemedicine is to have an impact on medical education and clinical practise in the future, today’s medical students will be the key enablers, so your views are really important!

Name:
Email:	(Required)

Question 1 Clinical practice On a scale of 1 to 5 where ‘1’ is not important and ‘5’ is extremely important, what do you think the role of telemedicine will be in the following types of medical care during the next 5 to 10 years?
Type of medical care	Please choose one by clicking with your mouse
	1	2	3	4	5
remote consultation between GPs and specialists on a routine basis
radiology e.g. image transmission to a remote specialist e.g. head injury prior to transfer
pathology e.g. a remote specialist looking at a slide on a computer screen
dermatology e.g. a specialist looking at a skin lesion via a video link to a GP surgery
antenatal e.g. transmission of fetal cardiotocograph information (obtained by midwives doing home visits) to consultant obstetricians at the nearest obstetric unit
follow up e.g. of an elderly patient at home using 'electronic' home visits

Question 2 Travelling and distance problems On a scale of 1 to 5 where '1' is not important and '5' is extremely important, what do you think the role of telemedicine will be in the following situations for patients who either find travelling difficult or have to travel long distances to attend hospital clinics?
Situation	Please choose one by clicking with your mouse
	1	2	3	4	5
Patients in remote areas of the country
Disabled patients
Patients attending follow up clinics even though they are relatively close to the main hospital
Parents with sick children attending a specialist
for the first time OR
for follow up
Prisoners who are dangerous/difficult to move
Battlefield casualties

Question 3 Education On a scale of 1 to 5 where '1' is not important and '5' is extremely important, what do you think the role of telemedicine will be in teaching and continuing medical education in the following areas?
Areas	Please choose one by clicking with your mouse
	1	2	3	4	5
Remote attendance at live lectures through TV linkup when direct attendance is not possible
Being able to download teaching materials from a Web site if you missed the live lecture, or for revision
Observing surgical procedures in class rooms via live relay from the operating theatre
Making medical education available to a wider Student group, e,g, Open University Distance Learning?
Using approved Web sites for medical information such as prescribing information and electronic journals

Question 4 Awareness of Telemedicine This questionnaire may have alerted you to the possibilities of Telemedicine which perhaps you hadn't considered previously. Could you please choose 'yes' or 'no' to the following. I have already come across the subject of telemedicine
Areas	Please choose one by clicking with your mouse
in a hospital doing practical work	Yes	No
during pre-clinical teaching	Yes	No
by attending a lecture/meeting/conference	Yes	No
from articles in medical textbook	Yes	No
from articles in medical journals	Yes	No
from articles in magazines/newspapers	Yes	No
from reports on television	Yes	No
from advertisements	Yes	No
If the answers to the above are all 'no'
Only as a result of filling in this questionnaire	Yes	No

Question 5. Experience with computers Although Telemedicine can simply refer to telephone consultation or facsimile transmission of an ECG, it is increasingly becoming more 'technological' with the use of computers and the Internet being essential. Although the medical school provides access to computers some students feel more comfortable or have had more experience than others. On a scale of 1 to 5 where '1' is very uncomfortable and '5' is very comfortable, how comfortable are you at using the computer for general tasks such as:
Areas	Please choose one by clicking with your mouse
	1	2	3	4	5
Basic word processing
creating newsletters using desk top publishing
creating a simple spreadsheet
creating a Powerpoint (or equivalent) presentation
accessing an Internet web site
gain access and search a medical site such as 'Medline'
saving web pages for off line viewing
using search facilities to find information
to communicate with colleagues using email
using email with file attachments
participating in news/user groups

Question 6 Training It seems clear that to be able to implement Telemedicine in some or all of the areas indicated above, some experience of computing is essential. That being the case, an assessment of training and training needs is required. Could you please answer 'yes' or 'no' to the following questions, except where otherwise indicated.
Areas	Please choose one by clicking with your mouse
Have you had or been offered any formal training in the use of computers since you started at King's?	Yes	No
If your answer is no, please answer the final question in this box
How much training did you receive, please fill in the number of hours if possible.	Hours
Did it cover the following areas
basic computing and keyboard skills	Yes	No
use of basic Windows applications (such as word processing)	Yes	No
use of advanced Windows applications (such as Powerpoint presentations)	Yes	No
use of the Internet	Yes	No
use of email	Yes	No
use of Telemedicine applications	Yes	No
If you haven't been offered training, would you like to receive computer training in the areas indicated above?	Yes	No

7 Final Question The above questions have probably made you aware that computing and telemedicine in all its guises may have a significant aspect on teaching, training and healthcare in the 21st century. The following statements refer to the possible impact of Telemedicine. What do you think? On a scale of 1 to 5 where '1' is disagree and '5' is strongly agree, what are your views about the following statements?
Statement	Please choose one by clicking with your mouse
	1	2	3	4	5
I really need to know more about computers
I can personally benefit from being more aware of what Telemedicine can offer
I would attend lectures/courses in Telemedicine if they were offered at Kings
patients should be encouraged to have access to medical information available on an NHS Web site so that they become better informed of their medical condition
Telemedicine combined with easy public access to health information and advice will make for a healthier population in the future
use of Telemedicine will blur the distinction between primary and secondary healthcare by improving the links between patients, nurses, GPs and consultants
use of Telemedicine could encourage more team working in healthcare
use of Telemedicine could make the distribution of healthcare more even with more emphasis on prevention

If you have any comments that you wish to make, please feel free to make them here

Thank you so much for filling in the questionnaire, your help is much appreciated

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