Systems archetypes to investigate the unintended consequences of telehealth in rural Australia: a systems thinking approach to telehealth evaluation and policymaking

As an alternative model of delivery to standard care, telehealth offers a promising solution to health access issues faced by rural and remote communities in Australia and worldwide. However, research typically focuses on its expected benefits and pitfalls, with little to no consideration of its unintended consequences and factors influencing its better utilisation. Drawing on systems thinking and informed by complexity science, we propose using systems archetypes—systems thinking tools - as a magnifying lens to investigate potential telehealth unintended consequences or outcomes. We conceptualise telehealth implementation in rural and remote Australia as a sociotechnical system whereby the interactions between its various agents shape telehealth implementation and, in turn, are shaped by it. When introducing new policies or interventions to any system, these interactions often lead to outcomes other than those initially planned or intended. Although systems archetypes cannot necessarily predict these outcomes, they are valuable for helping anticipate unintended, unforeseen outcomes and facilitating discussions about them to mitigate their negative impact and maximise their benefits. Outcomes are not necessarily adverse; they can also be positive. So, investigating such outcomes will minimise their negative impact and maximise their benefit. Our method was to review existing research and a selection of complexity and systems informed frameworks. Then, we assessed systems archetypes. And how they can be utilised to investigate unintended consequences. A worked example of what an unintended consequence in the implementation of telehealth in rural and remote Australia is presented.