Recommendations for the Development of Telemedicine in Poland Based on the Analysis of Barriers and Selected Telemedicine Solutions

Abstract

Technological development around the world has led to the digitalisation of the health system. Along with the digitalisation of the health sector, financial, legal, awareness-related, technological and IT barriers appeared. The aim of the article is to present recommendations for the development of telemedicine services in Poland on the basis of a list of implementation barriers and ways of resolving them in the USA and selected European countries. A literature review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR, using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases, Scopus and the OECD iLibrary. A total of 59 literature positions were used, which constituted the references. The article presented the implemented and effective solutions in selected countries. Based on these solutions, recommendations for the development of telemedicine in Poland were presented, as well as successes in the form of telemedicine startups, which can inspire other countries. The analysis of the publications discussed in the article shows that the implementation of telemedicine services should begin with the elimination of barriers limiting the development of telemedicine systems. An important issue in their elimination is to analyse their interconnections and implement such solutions which would have a multi-area coverage.

The COVID-19 Pandemic as an Impulse for the Development of Telemedicine in Primary Care in Poland

“…As part of the healthcare services, there are also services performed using telemedicine solutions, based on article 3, paragraph 1 of the Act on Medical Activity, which stipulates the provision of “healthcare services” which may “be provided through ICT or communication systems” [ 24 ]. An important issue related to the provision of medical services using telehealth tools is increasing the safety of patients and healthcare personnel [ 28 ].…”

“…It applies to supporting medical care for the elderly. There was a noticeable opposition to adopting non-traditional models and the fear that remote research would not be credible [ 28 ].…”

“…Many barriers were indicated in the analysis conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic concerning telemedicine services [ 28 ]. In many countries, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to increased tele-visits provided in primary care.…”

A Survey on Intrusion Detection Systems for Fog and Cloud Computing

“…Therefore, the e-Health Center, which is responsible in Poland for monitoring the development of e-Health and responsible for medical ICT systems created at the national and regional level, uses national cloud resources to implement medical systems [56]. The unlimited computing power available in the public cloud allows operating a scalable, flexible, and fully efficient system.…”

Is Telemedicine in Primary Care a Good Option for Polish Patients with Visual Impairments Outside of a Pandemic?

“…It enables the continuation of patient care and increases the level of safety for both patients and staff by reducing the risk of spreading infections during pandemics [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]; moreover, TM has been found to decrease mortality and hospitalizations due to chronic diseases (NCDs), such as diabetics and chronic heart failure, to enhance mental health and a healthy lifestyle and may bring cost and time savings to patients and providers [ 7 , 8 ]. On the other hand, there are some limitations to the effective usage of TM [ 9 ], which can be classified as: legal, financial, ICT-technology, and awareness-related barriers [ 10 ]. In addition, certain groups, including people with disabilities (PwDs), are more likely to face specific barriers in the use of TM, such as insufficient internet infrastructure, the “digital divide”, or the lack of assistive devices.…”