Design Requirements for a Teledermatology Scale-up Framework

Authors

  • Laticha EM Walters Department of TeleHealth, Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; CSIR, Pretoria, South Africa
  • Richard E Scott Department of TeleHealth, Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Canada; NT Consulting - Global e-Health Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • Maurice Mars Department of TeleHealth, Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa;

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18489/sacj.v30i1.559

Keywords:

Teledermatology, scale-up framework, requirements definition, requirements elicitation, South Africa

Abstract

The value proposition of full-scale teledermatology is evidenced in the literature. The public health sector of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province began synchronous teledermatology in 2003, followed by spontaneous asynchronous (mobile) teledermatology in 2013. No scale-up has been formally planned. This paper establishes design requirements that will inform the identification or de novo development of a teledermatology scale-up framework. Methods: A requirements definition process with inductive reasoning approaches was applied. Analysis of semi-structured interviews (19) with key teledermatology stakeholders (17) and observations from two teledermatology programmes, informed by lessons learned from prior teledermatology implementation attempts, eHealth scale-up literature and authors’ expert opinion, led to identification of Themes, and iterative reflection gave rise to Categories and Requirements. Results: Teledermatology scale-up framework design requirements emerged comprised of themes (4), categories (12), and specific design requirements (30). Discussion: This paper describes a process and resulting evidence-based (stakeholder interviews; programme observations; literature) and experience-based (expert opinion) design requirements to inform the identification and adoption / adaptation or de novo development of a teledermatology scale-up framework (TDSF) for KwaZulu-Natal’s public health sector. The proposed approach is recommended as a pre-requisite for scaling, including in other settings and for other telehealth applications.

Author Biographies

Richard E Scott, Department of TeleHealth, Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Canada; NT Consulting - Global e-Health Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Professor

Maurice Mars, Department of TeleHealth, Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa;

Professor and Head of Department TeleHealth

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Published

2018-07-10

Issue

Vol. 30 No. 1 (2018)

Section

Research Papers (general)

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