Original Article
Health Information management
Mohammad Amini; Mansour Esmaeilzadeh; Fatemeh Arabpour
Abstract
Introduction: Telehealth can be a valuable tool for improving access to healthcare, especially during a pandemic. However, certain barriers have limited its widespread adoption. Therefore, this study aims to prioritize the barriers to telehealth services and identify the relationships between them.Methods: ...
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Introduction: Telehealth can be a valuable tool for improving access to healthcare, especially during a pandemic. However, certain barriers have limited its widespread adoption. Therefore, this study aims to prioritize the barriers to telehealth services and identify the relationships between them.Methods: This study is applied in terms of its objective and employs a qualitative-analytical approach for data analysis. First, key barriers were identified through a systematic review of scientific resources and expert opinions. The validity of the barriers was assessed using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR). After validating the barriers, causal relationships between them were extracted and prioritized using the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) method. The research population included university professors, physicians, hospital managers, and health and medical experts, of whom 22 participants were selected through purposive (snowball) sampling. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire.Results: A review of the literature identified 16 initial barriers related to telehealth. Experts validated and finalized 14 of these barriers. The finalized barriers were classified into a six-level model. The findings indicate that the lack of an appropriate institutional framework to support telehealth and insufficient financial resources are the most fundamental and influential barriers. Addressing these barriers could help mitigate other challenges, such as technological issues and resistance to change. Additionally, barriers such as inconsistencies in insurance reimbursement and increased workload were identified as dependent barriers with less impact.Conclusion: Based on the study results, it is recommended that policymakers, including the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, health insurance organizations, and other relevant institutions, take steps to establish robust legal and institutional frameworks and ensure sufficient financial resources. Furthermore, providing specialized training, developing operational guidelines, and simplifying regulations are key strategies for enhancing the acceptance and efficiency of telehealth services.
Original Article
Health Information management
Sara Dakhesh; Shahnaz Khademizadeh; Zeinab Jozi
Abstract
Introduction: Today, the significant application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in healthcare and medical sciences has brought numerous ethical challenges to the health system. Therefore, the present study analyzes the bibliometrics of all publications related to medical ethics in the application ...
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Introduction: Today, the significant application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in healthcare and medical sciences has brought numerous ethical challenges to the health system. Therefore, the present study analyzes the bibliometrics of all publications related to medical ethics in the application of AI tools.Methods: This study is descriptive-analytical and was conducted using a scientometrics approach. The research population includes all publications related to medical ethics in AI studies indexed in the Web of Science core collection.Results: By implementing a search strategy, 354 scientific works related to the concept of medical ethics in the application of artificial intelligence tools were identified. Most of these documents were research articles (70.05%). From 2019 to the search date (December 4, 2024), the years 2024, 2023, and 2021 saw significant growth in scientific publications on artificial intelligence related to medical ethics. It was also reported that the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with 89, 41, and 36 works respectively, contributed the most to the publication of studies in this field. Additionally, citation analysis of these works revealed that research from these three countries—the United States (with 1,312 received citations), Germany (with 927 received citations), and the United Kingdom (with 893 received citations)—received the highest number of citations in this area of study.Conclusion: It can be inferred that research related to the implementation of artificial intelligence technology with a medical-ethical perspective is growing. Therefore, it is necessary that, through purposeful and principled development of these publications, broader awareness and dissemination of medical ethics standards—especially in the age of artificial intelligence—be promoted.
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