SynthesisBMC health services research2010
A systematic review of economic analyses of telehealth services using real time video communication.
Synthesis in BMC health services research, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 110 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Is Transabdominal Sonography Comparable to Transvaginal Sonography for Eligibility Assessment Prior to Medical Abortion? A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Developing E-health Services (DES): The Feasibility and Acceptability of Group Based Video-conferencing for Adults With Depression
Validation of Telemedicine Pre-anesthesia Consultation in Low-risk Anesthetic Patients Undergoing Ambulatory Surgery
Who cites it
110 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 357 citations in OpenAlex.
- Economic impact of telehealth on maternal and child health in regional, rural and remote Australia: a systematic review.Systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Telenursing as an Effective Ally for Improving Patient Outcomes in Diabetes? An Umbrella Review.Nursing open · 2025Pooled it
- Teleconsultation in health and social care professions education: A systematic review.The clinical teacher · 2022Pooled it
- Economic evaluation and costs of telepsychiatry programmes: A systematic review.Journal of telemedicine and telecare · 2022Pooled it
- The impacts of and outcomes from telehealth delivered in prisons: A systematic review.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Individual Real-Time Video Counseling on Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol, Physical Activity, and Obesity Health Risks: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The effectiveness of clinical networks in improving quality of care and patient outcomes: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies.BMC health services research · 2016Pooled it
- Efficacy of e-technologies in improving breastfeeding outcomes among perinatal women: a meta-analysis.Maternal & child nutrition · 2016Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the Economic Evaluation of Telemedicine in Japan.Journal of preventive medicine and public health = Yebang Uihakhoe chi · 2016Pooled it
- Effect of Telehealth Interventions on Hospitalization Indicators: A Systematic Review.Perspectives in health information managemen · 2016Pooled it
- Using QALYs in telehealth evaluations: a systematic review of methodology and transparency.BMC health services research · 2014Pooled it
- Analysis of the costs of teleconsultation for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the SUS.Revista de saude publica · 2024Trial
- Telemedicine: a cost-reducing means of delivering psychotherapy to rural combat veterans with PTSD.Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association · 2013Trial
- Cost reduction associated with telemedicine evaluation of low-risk orthopedic assessment: A cost-minimization analysis.SICOT-J · 2026Article
- Telemedicine in Afghanistan: Implementation, Outcomes, and Future Directions in a Resource-Constrained Setting.Cureus · 2025Review
- Early adoption of telehealth/remote patient monitoring and hospital revenue changes during COVID-19.Journal of telemedicine and telecare · 2025Article
- Telehealth Usage Disparities in Israel in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Cohort Study of Intersectional Sociodemographic Patterns and Health Equity Implications.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- An Overview of Reviews on Telemedicine and Telehealth in Dementia Care: Mixed Methods Synthesis.JMIR mental health · 2025Review
- Bridging Distances: A Retrospective Study of Virtual Wound Care to Reduce Travel Burden in Rural Healthcare.The Australian journal of rural health · 2025Article
50 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTelehealth is the delivery of health care at a distance, using information and communication technology. The major rationales for its introduction have been to decrease costs, improve efficiency and increase access in health care delivery. This systematic review assesses the economic value of one type of telehealth delivery--synchronous or real time video communication--rather than examining a heterogeneous range of delivery modes as has been the case with previous reviews in this area.
methodsA systematic search was undertaken for economic analyses of the clinical use of telehealth, ending in June 2009. Studies with patient outcome data and a non-telehealth comparator were included. Cost analyses, non-comparative studies and those where patient satisfaction was the only health outcome were excluded.
results36 articles met the inclusion criteria. 22(61%) of the studies found telehealth to be less costly than the non-telehealth alternative, 11(31%) found greater costs and 3 (9%) gave the same or mixed results. 23 of the studies took the perspective of the health services, 12 were societal, and one was from the patient perspective. In three studies of telehealth to rural areas, the health services paid more for telehealth, but due to savings in patient travel, the societal perspective demonstrated cost savings. In regard to health outcomes, 12 (33%) of studies found improved health outcomes, 21 (58%) found outcomes were not significantly different, 2(6%) found that telehealth was less effective, and 1 (3%) found outcomes differed according to patient group. The organisational model of care was more important in determining the value of the service than the clinical discipline, the type of technology, or the date of the study.
conclusionDelivery of health services by real time video communication was cost-effective for home care and access to on-call hospital specialists, showed mixed results for rural service delivery, and was not cost-effective for local delivery of services between hospitals and primary care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.