Health Telematics (AIM) Final Report
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PRIMSIFT

Strategic investigation needs in improving information services in primary and community area

Project Code:   18006-06
Project value:  200 KECU
EC contribution:  200 KECU
No of partners:  3
No of countries:  3
Duration:  24 months
Contact:
Anthony Randall
University of Oxford
Dept. of Public Health and Primary Care
ICRF General Practice ResearchGroup
Radcliffe Infirmary, Gibson Buildings
Woodstock Road
Oxford OX2 6HE, U.K.
Tel.: +44-1865-31.91.23 / 24.44.28
Fax: +44-1865-20.09.85
E-mail: randal@uk.ac.oxford.vax

Overview

This study was commissioned by AIM to help identify the current implementation and future need for telematics in the Primary and Community Health Care sectors. It was also to examine the barriers to progress in the field. In common with the emerging philosophy of the Commission, the emphasis was to be on users of such systems to answer criticism that much of the development of telematics had been driven by technology rather than by the necessity of delivering high quality care to patients.

The study is qualitative rather than quantitative. As such it is concerned with the interviewees perception of the world rather than that of the researchers. It provides a view from the "inside" rather than the "outside", to elucidate how the field of telematics is seen in Primary and Community Care and how decisions are made regarding needs and implementation.

Six countries were chosen for study and include a mix of Southern and Northern states: Denmark, Holland, England, France, Italy and Spain. They have different Health Care systems and have differing levels of telematic implementation in Primary and Community Care within those systems. It was anticipated that this would have an effect on the scope to which Health Care professionals will determine the need for telematics. For example, patients are not registered with a GP in France whereas as they are in all the other chosen countries; this could have an impact on the use of telematics in the management of chronic disease, screening and the transfer of patient administrative data. The differing methods of payment in the countries might also have a significant effect.

Within each country, interviews have been conducted with Health Care Organisers from ministry to local level; Health Care providers, including general practitioners (GPs), community nurses, home care teams, social workers and paramedical professions; and the Commercial Sector providing telecom services, informatics and software. In general, Health Care professionals have been interviewed in Focus Groups and the other people have been interviewed individually. The interviews were semi-structured but we have placed particular weight on allowing interviewees to develop their own ideas and theories. This has made the data more difficult to analyse and in some cases less complete but it has added considerable richness to the emerging information. The PRIMSIFT has sampled opinion from 329 people in 132 interviews. 93 were interviewed individually and 236 were interviewed in 37 focus groups. The average number of people in the focus groups was 6.4.

PRIMSIFT study has given answer to the following questions:

An exhaustive report (280 pp.) was presented during a workshop in Brussels in May 1995.

List of Deliverables

List of Participants

Dr. Rosangela Frassine
Prisma Informatica S.p.A.
11 Piazza di Bellosguardo
Villa dell'Ombrellino
I-50124 Firenze, Italy
Dr. Leslie Boydell
European Office
Eastern Health and Social Services Board
12-22 Linenhall Street
IRL-Belfast BT2 885, Ireland
Tel.: +44-232-32.13.13
Fax: +44-232-23.30.20

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