Paper Type
Short
Paper Number
PACIS2025-1320
Description
Enhancing healthcare accessibility is the foundational purpose of healthcare digitalization. Telemedicine, which utilizes digital communication tools, offers a promising solution to alleviate physician shortages and improve clinical decision-making in stroke management. This study investigates the impact of telemedicine on treatment decision-making and post-acute care demands for stroke patients. Using a comprehensive dataset of 314,665 stroke patient visits in Florida from 2010 to 2017, we examine the pathways linking telemedicine adoption, treatment decisions, and discharge disposition. Applying the Input-Process-Output (IPO) framework and conducting causal mediation analysis, we find that telemedicine significantly improves clinical decision-making. This results in a higher rate of routine home discharges and a reduction in discharges to nursing homes or hospital transfers. Our findings highlight the potential of telemedicine to enhance the efficiency of stroke care and treatment decisions, ultimately transforming post-acute care delivery.
Recommended Citation
Li, Yao; Zhang, Mingshan; Ke, Weiling; and Li, Wenwen, "Telemedicine and Post-Acute Care Demands: Evidence from Stroke Patients" (2025). PACIS 2025 Proceedings. 17.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2025/ishealthcare/ishealthcare/17
Telemedicine and Post-Acute Care Demands: Evidence from Stroke Patients
Enhancing healthcare accessibility is the foundational purpose of healthcare digitalization. Telemedicine, which utilizes digital communication tools, offers a promising solution to alleviate physician shortages and improve clinical decision-making in stroke management. This study investigates the impact of telemedicine on treatment decision-making and post-acute care demands for stroke patients. Using a comprehensive dataset of 314,665 stroke patient visits in Florida from 2010 to 2017, we examine the pathways linking telemedicine adoption, treatment decisions, and discharge disposition. Applying the Input-Process-Output (IPO) framework and conducting causal mediation analysis, we find that telemedicine significantly improves clinical decision-making. This results in a higher rate of routine home discharges and a reduction in discharges to nursing homes or hospital transfers. Our findings highlight the potential of telemedicine to enhance the efficiency of stroke care and treatment decisions, ultimately transforming post-acute care delivery.
Comments
Healthcare