Development of an Implementation Science Telehealth Toolkit to Promote Research Capacity in Evaluation of Telehealth Programs

Abstract

Background: The field of telehealth is rapidly growing and expanding access to quality health care, although there have been varied implementation outcomes in telehealth modalities. Dissemination and implementation (D&I) research can provide a systematic approach to identifying barriers and facilitators to telehealth implementation processes and outcomes. Methods: An interdisciplinary research and clinical team developed an implementation science telehealth toolkit to guide D&I evaluations of new and existing telehealth innovations. Results: The toolkit includes a separate section to correspond to each step in the D&I evaluation process. Each section includes resources to guide evaluation steps, telehealth specific considerations, and case study examples based on three completed telehealth evaluations. Discussion: The field of telehealth is forecasted to continue to expand, with potential to increase health care access to populations in need. This toolkit can help guide health care stakeholders to develop and carry out evaluations to improve understanding of telehealth processes and outcomes to maximize implementation and sustainability of these valuable innovations.