Conducting a Global Quadruple Aim Thematic Analysis of Telemedicine Performance in Rural Indigenous Populations and Evidence-Based Recommendations for Improvement

Abstract

As telehealth is a growing form of healthcare delivery across the world, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s impact on patient populations particularly in aboriginal and rural communities boasts many questions. As the health disparities between aboriginal groups living in rural areas on reserves and the rest of the Canadian demographics remain to be mountainous, telemedicine is often seen as the new way forward in reducing these healthcare gaps. Presently, much research has been conducted on these cohorts, particularly in the health equity atmosphere. However, much of this research lacks a comprehensive framework or tool in which it analyzes the efficacy of outcomes. In this review paper, the quadruple aim – the ideal standard of care which North American health systems seek to conform to – will be used to analyze telemedicine performance, and assert evidence-based recommendations for improvement.   Therefore, this paper seeks to conduct a thematic analysis on the various issues and barriers to telemedicine delivery and usage in aboriginal populations with respect to the quadruple aim as well as identifying evidence-based solutions to alleviate some of these concerns and bolster care.