The cost-effectiveness of telemedicine in blood pressure control and implications for Vietnam

Abstract

Telemedicine has been applied in disease management in many countries for a few decades. It allows delivery of medical care at a distance and helps patients to get access to medical expertise that may not be available at the patients’ site; thus, it has great potential in bringing profound impact on developing countries where there is usually shortage of healthcare workforce and inadequate healthcare infrastructure. With the increase in Internet access and the trend of developing Internet of Things (IoT), Vietnam seems to have the infrastructure-ready for the application of telemedicine as one solution for the overcrowded healthcare system. The objective of this paper is to review the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine interventions especially in blood pressure control as hypertension is one of the prioritized issues in Vietnam public health system. Lessons learned from such interventions will be important for the first adoption of telemedicine in Vietnam.