Main results
The French Ministry of Health funded 41 telehealth research projects between 2009 and 2022, amounting to €15 million, which constituted 1.1% of all projects funded during this period. 279 study protocols were identified on ClinicalTrials.gov, peaking in 2021 with 58 protocols (20.8%), representing 5.8% of worldwide protocols. Public hospitals provided most of the funding (66%), with 18% coming from the industry. A total of 1,254 publications related to telehealth were identified in PubMed, representing 2.5% of worldwide telehealth publications.
Impact
This is the first study in France and Europe to describe the trends in telehealth research over a 20-year period. Telehealth research in France started in the early 2000s, had a linear growth between 2011 and 2021, peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, and decreased in 2022 and 2023. All types of telehealth interactions were covered, and funding came mostly from public sources. Funding for telehealth research was however limited and should be increased in France.
Collaboration
This study was conducted with the funding support of LET (Les Entreprises de Télésanté), the Union of Telehealth Companies in France
LET - Les Entreprises de Telesanté
Jean-Pascal Piermé
QARE
Dr Julie Salomon
KRY / LIVI
Paul Martin Gousset
