The Pine Ridge/Mayo NASA Telemedicine Project: program activities and participant reactions.

This report provides information on reactions of program participants to a telemedicine project that was transmitted between Pine Ridge Indian Health Service Hospital in Pine Ridge, South Dakota and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota from June 22 to September 8, 1994. Patients and employees at the Pine Ridge Indian Hospital and employees at the Mayo clinic who participated in the telemedicine transmissions completed post participation and post project surveys. Almost all participants whether patients and employees at Pine Ridge or employees at the Mayo Clinic viewed the project as beneficial to both Pine Ridge and the Mayo Clinic. The educational sessions received very favorable evaluations and almost two thirds of the patients who completed evaluations reported that they felt that the consultation had made an important contribution to their medical care. Responses to the post project survey were also highly favorable. For example, more that 90% of the respondents from Pine Ridge and more than 85% of the respondents from the Mayo Clinic said that they would recommend participation in this project to others, and more that 90% of respondents from Pine Ridge and 80% of respondents from the Mayo Clinic agreed with the statement that the project should continue. These data suggest that an arrangement that is beneficial to both the residents of Pine Ridge and the Mayo Clinic could be developed to deliver clinical services, professional education and patient education via telemedicine.