COVID-19 will forever change the landscape of telemedicine

Abstract

Purpose of review The COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented global effects, yet the rapid emergence of telehealth across the globe has allowed healthcare professionals to connect virtually with patients and families while following safe social distancing guidelines. Telehealth has been used relatively well in patients from remote regions with limited access to subspecialty healthcare providers. This article discusses novel ways of using telehealth during the current pandemic and measures that would need to be taken to sustain telehealth and teleconsultations. Recent findings Telehealth has expanded to outpatient pediatric cardiology clinics across the globe during the pandemic. Technological advancements in video conferencing and the abundance of readily available wearable devices have allowed cardiologists to establish a preliminary diagnosis and set forth a treatment plan. Additional support by insurance providers and relaxation of mandatory regulations by the government have allowed telehealth to succeed during the pandemic. Although many subdisciplines within pediatric cardiology can be easily adapted into a sustainable telehealth model, some unique patient interactions, such as fetal cardiology, exercise physiology, and echocardiograms cannot be done remotely. The field of telehealth medicine with HIPAA-compliant programs and both insurance and government support should remain in our armamentarium of available resources for all patients and families. Summary Although not unique to pediatric cardiology, telehealth has emerged as an avenue to perform an initial evaluation and even establish a care pathway for patients. It is well recognized that telehealth visits will not supplant all patient--physician interactions but is a very acceptable first step in the majority of cases and can often steer the patient to subsequently undergo more selective and streamlined care.

Safety of video-based telemedicine compared to in-person triage in emergency ophthalmology during COVID-19

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the widespread adoption of telemedicine [ 16 , 17 ]. Being able to demonstrate the safety of a virtual service compared to its physical counterpart is powerful, particularly given the obvious public health advantages midst a pandemic.…”

COVID-19 Pandemic and the Residents’ Side of the Story: A Cross-sectional Survey Study

“…On the other side, positive outcomes of the current crises are also worth mentioning and they include the implementation of effective distant learning methods such as online seminars, recorded or live-streamed didactic lectures as well as the introduction of telemedicine in a comforting and e cient method to the patients and healthcare providers. Overall, most of these online-based methods will transcend beyond the pandemic as they have proven to be effective time-e cient tools in education and in some instances in health-related services as well (12)(13)(14).…”

Impact of COVID-19 on outpatient appointments in children and young people in England: an observational study

“…33 34 Research is emerging on how remote CYP outpatient appointments should best be routinely integrated into post-COVID services. [35][36][37] The fall in CYP outpatient activity reflects changes in need, a decrease in health seeking behaviour and changes in health system pathways, including a move towards remote consultations and redeployment of Paediatric staff to care for COVID-19 patients. Similar changes in activity during this period were seen across the health system, including in primary care 38 and emergency care.…”