A success-story in cross-border telemedicine in Europe: The use of intra-operative teleneuromonitoring during aorta surgery

Despite its potential benefits, telemedicine across borders in Europe is still in its early stages and little has been written about these collaborations. This paper aims to explore the factors, which have supported the implementation of a cross-border teleneuromonitoring collaboration between hospitals in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. Semi-structured interviews with key actors were recorded and fully transcribed, and were analysed using framework analysis. Our results indicated that an array of factors facilitated collaboration in telemonitoring and assured its success and sustainability: (1) a real need to initiate the collaboration, (2) real benefits for all the parties involved, (3) agreed protocols and procedures from the start to overcome differences in healthcare systems, (4) two driving forces to sustain the collaboration; a quest for improved quality of care and for innovation, and (5) recognition that this is a bottom–up collaboration initiated by health care professionals who trusted each other.

► Our results indicated that an array of factors facilitated collaboration in telemonitoring and assured its success and sustainability.
► A real need to initiate the collaboration.
► Real benefits for all the parties involved.
► Agreed protocols and procedures from the start to overcome differences in healthcare systems.
► Two driving forces to sustain the collaboration; a quest for improved quality of care and for innovation.
► Recognition that this is a bottom–up collaboration initiated by health care professionals who trusted each other.