Factors Affecting the Establishment of Teleradiology Services: A Case Study of Iran

Nowadays, the rapid advances in information technologies make fundamental changes in the life and workplaces around the world, which are also evident and considerable in the health care and health care systems. One of the branches of the field of information technology is telemedicine, and among various forms of telemedicine, teleradiology is the most developed and most used form. According to various applications of teleradiology in increasing the quality of patient care and accurate and rapid medical diagnoses, especially in cases of crisis and deprived areas, the application of this technology is increasing. Therefore, the current study aimed at identifying and prioritizing the factors affecting the establishment of teleradiology in a public hospital in Tehran, Iran, using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique. The current cross sectional and descriptive study was conducted in a public hospital in Tehran, Iran, in 2017. The study sample consisted of 30 experts in radiology and information technology (IT), health insurance, health services management, and health information technology (HIT) using purposive and snowball sampling methods. The required data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire containing 47 items. The collected data were analyzed using AHP technique through Expert Choice 11.0. The obtained results showed that technologies and infrastructures (W = 0.249) and training the technical and medical staff (0.094) had the highest and lowest weights and priorities among the studied dimensions, respectively. In Iran, the application of modern telecommunication technologies, especially in the field of medicine, such as teleradiology is accompanied by many challenges due to the lack of adequate infrastructures and their relatively high initial costs. Therefore, in order to establish and implement the teleradiology technology, adequate financial resources and incentives should be provided for hospitals by the government; i e, the ministry of health and social security organization. Also, the development of telecommunication infrastructures such as launching the national health network (SHAMS) can also help to implement teleradiology services.