Telemedicine with special focus on allergic diseases and asthma—Status 2022: An EAACI position paper

Abstract

Efficacious, effective and efficient communication between healthcare professionals (HCP) and patients is essential to achieve a successful therapeutic alliance. Telemedicine (TM) has been used for decades but during the COVID‐19 pandemic its use has become widespread. This position paper aims to describe the terminology and most important forms of TM among HCP and patients and review the existing studies on the uses of TM for asthma and allergy. Besides, the advantages and risks of TM are discussed, concluding that TM application reduces costs and time for both, HCP and patients, but cannot completely replace face‐to‐face visits for physical examinations and certain tests that are critical in asthma and allergy. From an ethical point of view, it is important to identify those involved in the TM process, ensure confidentiality and use communication channels that fully guarantee the security of the information. Unmet needs and directions for the future regarding implementation, data protection, privacy regulations, methodology and efficacy are described.

Tele-Monitoring Applications in Respiratory Allergy

“…In specific, terms such as telehealth, electronic health, mobile health (mHealth), software applications, etc., refer to clinical or non-clinical services and means used for healthcare delivery, education, monitoring, and assessment of patients/users' medical conditions. TM encompasses both diagnostics, treatment approaches, and reha-bilitation [33][34][35][36]. Detailed descriptions and definitions of distinct telemonitoring features such as telehealth, tele-diagnosis, tele-screening, m-health, e-health, etc., pertaining to the telemedicine domain are now provided by the EAACI position paper dedicated to TM with a special focus on allergic diseases and asthma [36].…”

“…TM encompasses both diagnostics, treatment approaches, and reha-bilitation [33][34][35][36]. Detailed descriptions and definitions of distinct telemonitoring features such as telehealth, tele-diagnosis, tele-screening, m-health, e-health, etc., pertaining to the telemedicine domain are now provided by the EAACI position paper dedicated to TM with a special focus on allergic diseases and asthma [36].…”

“…However, the absence of consistent medical liability and regulation prevents the establishment of a unified European framework. Another challenge is the inadequate governmental support for TM innovation, as well as the absence of social security systems to offset the expenses associated with TM [36]. Privacy and security in telehealth/telemonitoring practices are influenced by three main risk factors: environmental factors, such as inadequate privacy in households due to a lack of space for confidential conversations and challenges in sharing sensitive health information remotely; technology factors, including data security concerns, limited internet access, and technological limitations; and operational factors, i.e., encompassing reimbursement, payer denials, technology accessibility, and training/education requirements.…”