Presenting a model for telemedicine implementation: A case study of Ahvaz Jundishapur University ‎of Medical Sciences

Implementing telemedicine can help reduce costs and improve quality and equity access to ‎health services. Simultaneously with the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, telemedicine has ‎become one of the priorities of the Ministry of Health of Iran. This study aimed to provide a ‎model for the implementation of telemedicine in Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical ‎Sciences.

The present study was conducted in 2020 with various reviews descriptive ‎and qualitative methods. In this first study, the implementation requirements of ‎telemedicine were determined using a review study. In the second step, physicians' familiarity with expertise in telemedicine was assessed. In the third step, the current ‎infrastructure (admirative and technical) of Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences in the field of telemedicine was ‎examined. Then a model for telemedicine implementation was proposed. This template was ‎provided to 25 experts in the form of a questionnaire.

The telemedicine implementation model for Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical ‎Sciences was approved by experts in a Delphi round. The final model consisted of 12 main ‎axes and 180 components.

The proposed model in the present study can assist medical universities in ‎planning telemedicine implementation.