Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Thomas Clobes

Abstract

It is the purpose of this quantitative study to determine whether telemedicine has improved healthcare coverage in rural California as measured by HPSA scores, and especially for intensive care units (ICUs). This study examined the relationship between ICU length of stay, telemedicine use among ICU providers, and HPSA scores in rural California areas. This study explored whether there is a significant relationship between HPSA score of hospitals in rural California areas and ICU length of stay and if there is a significant relationship between HPSA score of hospitals in rural California areas and ICU telemedicine use. This study was guided by the four level healthcare system developed by Ferlie and Shortell, which examines the impact of internal and external variables on healthcare access; technology is considered a central element of the model. The method of analysis was Pearson’s r correlation analysis. The p-value for the first research question indicated that there was a 46% probability of that these results were due to chance, compared to a 5% probability of rejecting the null hypotheses. Consequently, for the second research question, no significant correlation was found and the null hypothesis could not be rejected. The results of the analysis were partly consistent with the literature, as the nonsignificant correlation indicated that the HPSA scores are not directly related to the length of stay in ICUs. The study’s findings may be used by administrators for positive social change as they consider the use of telemedicine in the future.

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