Telehealth in New Zealand: current practice and future prospects.

We have surveyed the current state of telehealth in New Zealand. The survey found 22 telehealth projects active in 2003, compared with 12 identified in a previous survey in 2000. Many projects were small, localized and led by enthusiasts. Sustainability was a problem and many projects had failed to enter routine operation. Teleradiology and telepsychiatry services focused on acute hospitals were the most frequent clinical applications. The majority of projects (9 of the 22) were on the North Island, concentrated around Auckland. Telehealth appears to have special potential for rural communities and for the remote treatment (telecare) of chronic disease. However, the provision of telehealth in New Zealand is patchy and meets the same barriers to success as have been identified elsewhere, which make it difficult to move telehealth into routine operation. The obstacles constitute not so much a failure of individual projects as a lack of a driving force to take advantage of the opportunities. It is to be hoped that a suggested strategic framework can help to harness the opportunities.