Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Photo credit: Naval Medical Center San Diego
The pandemic brought telecommunication technology to the front lines of health care. A growing body of evidence shows that telementoring 鈥� the practice of using technology to guide less experienced health care workers from afar 鈥� can improve rural health by building local capacity to treat patients, reducing professional isolation, improving access to care and allowing sharing of best practices.
The Rural Telementoring Training Center, a federally funded program housed within the Center for Health Policy at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, is set to launch an app designed to refine this new, innovative form of outreach.
The Rural Telementoring Quality Measure Toolkit App can help teams interpret which aspects of their telementoring programming (staffing, content, technology, marketing) are strong, and which ones still have room to grow. This critical tool for program and design evaluation was developed based on findings from published literature and national experts.
Waridibo Allison, MD, PhD, FACP, CPE, FIDSA
鈥淏y disseminating a telementoring quality measure toolkit widely via the app, we hope
to improve recognition of the importance of evaluating the quality of different telementoring
models,鈥� said Dr. Waridibo Allison, principal investigator and director of the Rural
Telementoring Training Center 鈥� as well as HSC鈥檚 vice president of Health Policy and
director of the university鈥檚 Center for Health Policy. 鈥淲hile our focus is on rural
America, the toolkit is applicable to telementoring for urban settings. Our ultimate
goal is to support and see health care telementoring that is measurably of high quality,
delivered across America to benefit rural and other communities.鈥�
To celebrate the app鈥檚 launch, the RTTC is hosting virtual events from Tuesday through June 2. 鈥淟everaging Digital Solutions to Transform Rural Health鈥� will feature some of the most prominent forward-thinking thought leaders in the telementoring field giving presentations and discussing the topic. These events are free and open to the public.
鈥淭he Rural Telementoring Training Center provides a unique opportunity for rural health professionals to network, build skills and maintain their autonomous practice,鈥� said Dr. Chris Salyers, director of programs and evaluation at the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. 鈥淭hrough this new app, rural health professionals will have even greater access to high-quality mentoring resources facilitated by the conveniences of a mobile device.鈥�
The Telementoring Quality Measure Toolkit Mobile App features resources to support the design, launch and evaluation of telementoring programs that improve rural health. The app features:
- Introduction to six models of telementoring
- Steps through the RTTC鈥檚 individualized technical assistance process
- Quality measure checklists for five telementoring models
All app content is accessible without internet access but can only be installed and updated when the device is connected to the internet. The app will be available on all major platforms.
Event schedule:
Tuesday, noon-1 p.m.
鈥淲hat Rural Health Leaders Are Saying鈥� featuring Dr. Bill Auxier and Sydney Grant
from Rural Health Leadership Radio.
May 31, 11 a.m.-noon
鈥淭he Intersection of Digital Equity and Rural Health: Key Considerations for Telehealth,鈥�
presented by Danielle Louder, co-director of MCD Global Health, U.S. Programs and
director of Northeast Telehealth Resource Center at Medical Care Development Inc.
June 1, 1-2 p.m.
鈥淭elementoring Solutions for Incarceration Health Care鈥� featuring Dr. Charles Mathias,
policy co-investigator at the Rural Telementoring Training Center and associate professor
in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UT Health San Antonio.
June 2, noon-1 p.m.
鈥淧anel Discussion: The Future of Rural Medicine鈥� featuring BJ Biskupiak, Montana Department
of Public Health and Human Services; Raudel Bobadilla, UT Health San Antonio; Dr.
Paula Stigler Granados, San Diego State University; and Dr. Jeffrey Weiss, Icahn School
of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Waridibo Allison.
To register for the events and learn more about the app, visit
From by Eric Griffey