JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Telemedicine has been deployed to address issues in intensive care delivery as well as improve outcome and quality of care. Implementation of this technology has been characterized by significant variability. Tele intensive care unit (ICU) interventions involve the combination of multiple technological and organizational components as well as interconnections of key stakeholders inside the hospitals’ organization. The extensive literature on the benefits of tele ICUs has been characterized as heterogeneous. On the one hand, positive clinical and economical outcomes have been shown in multiple studies. On the other hand, no tangible benefits could be detected in several other cases. This could be due to the diverse forms of organizations, tele ICU interventions are complex to evaluate. The implementation context of tele ICUs has been shown to play a significant role in the success of the technology. The benefits derived from tele ICU depend on the organization where it is deployed and how the telemedicine systems are applied. There is therefore value in analyzing the benefits of tele ICU in relation to the characteristics of the organization where it is deployed. To date, research on the topic has not provided a comprehensive overview of literature taking both the technology setup and implementation context into account.

Objective:

This study undertakes a scoping review of the literature on telemedicine in the ICU and its benefits in intensive care. The purpose of this review is to map out evidence about of tele ICU in light of the implementation context. This review could represent a valuable contribution to support the development of tele ICU technologies and offer perspective on possible configurations, based on the implementation context and use cases.

Methods:

We follow the PRISMA extension for scoping review (PRISMA-ScR) published in 20181, and the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for Scoping Reviews. Preliminary electronic database searches have returned 2,427 results, after removing duplicates. The scoping review and subsequent systematic review will be completed by fall 2020.

Results:

A preliminary search has been conducted. Search results have been downloaded and appraised for relevance. Data extraction and charting has not yet started.

Conclusions:

The scoping review will provide a mapping of existing evidence on tele ICU given the implementation context. This research could be used by researchers, clinicians and implementation teams as they determine the appropriate setup for new or existing tele ICU systems. Needs for future research contributions and systematic reviews will be identified.