Table 4.

Study aim and outcomes

Report title	Study population description	Aim of study	Type of outcome measure	Facility description
Koizumi et al [30]	Two patients with chronic respiratory failure, attending PCP, and one pulmonary specialist	To create and test a multi-station teleconsultation support system, three remote locations were connected: the homes of two patients with chronic respiratory failure, the hospital of the attending PCP and a pulmonologist in another hospital	The effectiveness of a system connecting multiple terminals for teleconsultation. (Notes: although the methods to measure the effectiveness is not described). The feasibility of use is established	Two patients with chronic respiratory failure, the hospital of the attending PCP, and the hospital of the pulmonary specialist.
Raza et al [28]	Six pulmonary specialist at the Milwaukee site and the patient and ancillary provider (nurse or respiratory technologist - RT) at the Iron Mountain. 314 patients	The goals of the study were (1) to evaluate the use and effect of teleconsultation technology to provide consultative outpatient care for a broad range of pulmonary conditions; and (2) To evaluate the use of a teleconsultation program in terms of (a) access to care (including reduction in both travel for patients and waiting time for appointments), (b) clinical decision making (medical interview and physical exam, medical work-up required, and outcome of teleconsultation), and (c) patient disposition (need for follow-up care and need for in- person evaluation)	1. Reasons for referrals and access to speciality care; 2. Medical process of care 3. Physicians’ diagnoses after teleconsultations 4. Medical decision making 5. Patient demographics 6. Patient Satisfaction. 7. Number of visits and Travel distances	Remote location (Spoke): Iron Mountain VAMC in Iron Mountain, MI and Provider (Hub): Milwaukee Veteran Affairs Medical Centre (VAMC) pulmonary teleconsultation clinic
Averame et al [31]	638 PCP and pulmonary specialist for interpreting the telespirometry	To report feasibility and usefulness of telespirometry in general practice from Italian Alliance study. (Aim of the Alliance study was (a) to improve the familiarity of PCPs with spirometry; and (b) to demonstrate the usefulness of a spirometric evaluation)	Diagnostic accuracy of PCPs interpreting spirometry in asthma and COPD according to ACCP, GOLD and ATS/ERS Guidelines	PCP office and pulmonary units
Bonavia et al [32]	large sample (937) of PCPs from all regions of Italy and Fifty-one pulmonary units distributed throughout the country. 17 910 subjects	To report the results of an Italian study on the feasibility of telespirometry in general practice	Feasibility of telespirometry in general practice	PCP office and pulmonary units
Bernocchi et al [33]	Patients, 176 PCPs two specialists	Combining management, clinical, and technological tools to improve provision of health care in rural areas, from secondary care community hospital settings to home care	The aims of the project were 3-fold: (1) to implement and use continuity-of-care services (2) to design a network in the territory for sharing continuity-of-care programs for the management of chronic diseases (3) to allow the health authority to collect data to establish sustainable pricing at the regional health level for implementing TM	1. Home-Based Tele management for Patients with Chronic Heart Failure or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2. Second opinion for PCPs at PCPs’ Office 3. Second opinion on digital images between PCPs office and specialist hospitals.
Thijssing et al [34]	158 PCPs and 32 pulmonologists	To assess the effect of telepulmonology on quality and efficiency of care	Effect of telepulmonology on quality and efficiency of care	PCPs office and pulmonary specialist’s office
Metting et al [35]	11401 patients suspected to have obstructive airway disease (OAD) 360 PCPs from north Netherland, 10 pulmonologists	To improve the management of asthma and COPD patients in primary care using an internet-based service	Feasibility, effectiveness and efficiency in supporting PCPs to diagnose and manage asthma, COPD and overlap syndrome patients.	PCP's office, Laboratory facility for conducting spirometry and pulmonary specialist’s office. Communication over internet
Fadaizadeh et al [36]	1. 58 Thoracic surgery patients; 2. consulting physician located in a remote hospital	To assess the advantage of teleICU by accelerating consultations and bringing physicians’ satisfaction from teleconsultation outcomes	1. Comparison of the pace of teleconsultation and regular(bedside) consultation of ICU patients admitted during the year before starting tele-ICU; 2. the physicians’ satisfaction from teleconsultation	Tertiary pulmonology/ thoracic surgery hospital (location of specialist is not mentioned)
Weikert et al [37]	Databased analysis no study population. Data from 239 hospitals located in 46 cities in 12 countries	To support referring centres to interpret HRCT with respect to UIP in patient with suspected Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)	Feasibility of cross-border teleradiology for the provision of state-of-the-art reporting	Referral hospitals (location of specialist is not mentioned)
Wrenn et al [29]	86 Primary care providers (PCP) from eight adult primary care sites at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), USA, 195 patients	To analyse how the teleconsultation program affects clinical management of patients in primary care	Percentage of specialist recommendations PCPs implemented, and the proportion of patients with a specialist visit in the same specialty as the teleconsultation, emergency department visit, or hospital admission during the subsequent six months	PCPs office (location of specialist is not mentioned)