Analysis of Factors Inhibiting the Dissemination of Telemedicine in Japan: Using the Interpretive Structural Modeling

Background: Telemedicine is not significantly spreading globally and large variations in its availability use exist internationally. Although many factors already inhibit the dissemination of telemedicine, complexly intertwined make it more difficult to solve this problem. This study aimed analyze visualize relationships among inhibiting telemedicine. We applied interpretive structural modeling method cross-impact matrix multiplication classification analysis. Materials Methods: Factors telemedicine Japan were extracted by literature review hearing from four medical informatics experts belonging a university or hospital using Kawakita Jiro method. Results: Eighteen as those service Japan: initial operation cost, research data, legal development, profitability, usability, human resources, image quality, network speed, information security, technical limitation, restriction for clinical practice, practice continuity, target case, burden physicians, respondence, risks safety, understanding staff, patients. The hierarchical structure chart showed nine-level relationship them Discussion: found that underlying high implementation costs, low safety. Implementation profitability have driving power; thus, expected elimination these would lead Conclusions: There are kinds Japan. result visually could be useful problem effectively efficiently.