Survey: Telehealth Untapped Area of Growth

At the World Health Congress in Washington, D.C., this week, Cisco (San Jose) unveiled findings from a global health leader survey on national health sector innovation. The most significant findings from the online survey, commissioned by the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) and conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI), reveal that collaboration and information-sharing among health professionals have the greatest near-term potential for facilitating large-scale health sector innovation.

Health leaders in 16 countries on six continents were asked about their views on the leading issues and opportunities in providing health services to their citizens.

The health leaders identified their top concerns as:
• Providing equitable access to health services.
• Maximizing the efficiency of health resources.
• Providing quality care consistently.

When asked to highlight options that would enable significant nationwide health transformation, the survey respondents identified technology-enabled innovations and telehealth solutions as potential breakthroughs. The survey found strong support from world health leaders for enabling innovation with telehealth models.

"Telehealth" is a broad concept used to denote new ways for health professionals to share information, work collaboratively and deliver services using a wide range of information and communications technology.