Telemedicine

Original Editor - Shahd Mohammed

Top Contributors - Shahd Mohammed Abdelhafeez Hamed, Vidya Acharya and Rishika Babburu

Introduction

First implemented in the 1950s, telemedicine is a rapidly evolving tool for healthcare systems around the world. Technological advancement and increasing access to information technology have made the implementation of telemedicine more feasible. Recent provisions by healthcare organizations encourages the use of telemedicine globally.^[1]

Telemedicine’s strengths lie in connecting parties over great distances. Consequently, primary care providers in rural regions are twice as likely to use telemedicine compared to primary care providers in urban regions^[2]

Patient engagement via telemedicine is influenced by various demographic factors such as age, gender, socio economic status, technological literacy, ethnicity, and preferred language. Amongst patient populations that do have access to telemedicine, its convenience and cost effectiveness have led to it being more widely accepted by patients than healthcare providers.^[3]

Advantages of telemedicine

The use during pandemics when social distance is required. In addition to reducing the risk of infection spread through physical contact, telemedicine allows healthcare providers to continue to work and serve their community.^[4]
Increases patient's satisfaction by reducing wait times, reducing to no travel time, cost due to less use of transportation, and decreased cost due to less use of healthcare facilities.^[5]
Reaching patients in rural and far away locations, including those with develop mental or physical disabilities, the elderly, incarcerated patients, and those living on the cultural or geographical margins.^[6]
It helps with the work of many specialties such as dermatologists with evaluating and assessing many conditions such as eczema, pressure injuries, psoriasis. ^[7]
Reducing the load in emergency rooms, Telemedicine can be used to classify patients and let patients with less life-threatening conditions wait comfortably at home instead of in a crowded emergency department waiting room.^[8]
The ability to track your own vital signs, your medication doses and your test results.

Disadvantages of telemedicine

Telemedicine can't replace in person examinations in all cases.
Misuse of telelmedicine can lead to false diagnoses and therefore risking patients' lives.

References

↑ Stoltzfus, M., Kaur, A., Chawla, A. et al. The role of telemedicine in healthcare: an overview and update. Egypt J Intern Med 35, 49 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43162-023-00234-z
↑ Jetty A, Moore MA, Coffman M, Petterson S, Bazemore A (2018) Rural family physicians are twice as likely to use telehealth as urban family physicians. Telemed J E Health 24(4):268–276. https://doi.org/10.+1089/+tmj.2017.0161
↑ Bashshur RL, Howell JD, Krupinski EA, Harms KM, Bashshur N, Doarn CR (2016) The empirical foundations of telemedicine interventions in primary care. Telemed J E Health 22(5):342–375. https://doi.org/10.1089/+tmj.2016.0045
↑ Scalvini S, Vitacca M, Paletta L, Giordano A, Balbi B (2004) Telemedicine: a new frontier for effective healthcare services. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 61(4):226–233. https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2004.686
↑ Le LB, Rahal HK, Viramontes MR, Meneses KG, Dong TS, Saab S (2019) Patient satisfaction and healthcare utilization using telemedicine in liver transplant recipients. Dig Dis Sci 64(5):1150–1157. https://doi.org/10.+1007/s10620-018-5397-5
↑ Luciano E, Mahmood MA, Mansouri RP (2020) Telemedicine adoption issues in the United States and Brazil: perception of healthcare profes sionals. Health Informatics J 26(4):2344–2361. https://doi.org/10.1177/+1460458220902957
↑ O’Connor DM, Jew OS, Perman MJ, Castelo-Soccio LA, Winston FK, McMahon PJ (2017) Diagnostic accuracy of pediatric teledermatology using parent-submitted photographs: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Dermatol 153(12):1243–1248. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.+2017.4280
↑ Gupta VS, Popp EC, Garcia EI, et al. Telemedicine as a component of forward triage in a pandemic. Healthc (Amst). 2021;9(3):100567. https://+doi.org/10.1016/j.hjdsi.2021.100567

[1] Stoltzfus, M., Kaur, A., Chawla, A. et al. The role of telemedicine in healthcare: an overview and update. Egypt J Intern Med 35, 49 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43162-023-00234-z

[2] Jetty A, Moore MA, Coffman M, Petterson S, Bazemore A (2018) Rural family physicians are twice as likely to use telehealth as urban family physicians. Telemed J E Health 24(4):268–276. https://doi.org/10.+1089/+tmj.2017.0161

[3] Bashshur RL, Howell JD, Krupinski EA, Harms KM, Bashshur N, Doarn CR (2016) The empirical foundations of telemedicine interventions in primary care. Telemed J E Health 22(5):342–375. https://doi.org/10.1089/+tmj.2016.0045

[4] Scalvini S, Vitacca M, Paletta L, Giordano A, Balbi B (2004) Telemedicine: a new frontier for effective healthcare services. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 61(4):226–233. https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2004.686

[5] Le LB, Rahal HK, Viramontes MR, Meneses KG, Dong TS, Saab S (2019) Patient satisfaction and healthcare utilization using telemedicine in liver transplant recipients. Dig Dis Sci 64(5):1150–1157. https://doi.org/10.+1007/s10620-018-5397-5

[6] Luciano E, Mahmood MA, Mansouri RP (2020) Telemedicine adoption issues in the United States and Brazil: perception of healthcare profes sionals. Health Informatics J 26(4):2344–2361. https://doi.org/10.1177/+1460458220902957

[7] O’Connor DM, Jew OS, Perman MJ, Castelo-Soccio LA, Winston FK, McMahon PJ (2017) Diagnostic accuracy of pediatric teledermatology using parent-submitted photographs: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Dermatol 153(12):1243–1248. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.+2017.4280

[8] Gupta VS, Popp EC, Garcia EI, et al. Telemedicine as a component of forward triage in a pandemic. Healthc (Amst). 2021;9(3):100567. https://+doi.org/10.1016/j.hjdsi.2021.100567

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