Telemedicine and the COVID-19 Pandemic, Lessons for the Future

Bashshur, Rashid L.; Doarn, Charles R.; Frenk, Julio; Kvedar, Joseph C.; Woolliscroft, James O.

doi:10.1089/tmj.2020.29040.rb

Cited by 509 publications

(472 citation statements)

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“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become apparent that a large number of visits can be managed on distance 213 , that the infrastructure for telemedicine is widely available 213,214 , and that the pandemic itself represents an opportunity to expand the use of telemedicine 215 . It has been reported that telepsychiatry may be efficient to screen for mental health symptoms in COVID-19 patients and to optimize treatment 216 , or that online assessments are helpful prior to appointments and as follow-up 217 .…”

Section: Telemedicine During the Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adaptation of evidence‐based suicide prevention strategies during and after theCOVID‐19 pandemic

et al. 2020

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Suicide is preventable. Nevertheless, each year 800,000 people die of suicide in the world. While there is evidence indicating that suicide rates de‐crease during times of crises, they are expected to increase once the immediate crisis has passed. The COVID‐19 pandemic affects risk and pro‐tective factors for suicide at each level of the socio‐ecological model. Economic downturn, augmented barriers to accessing health care, increased access to suicidal means, inappropriate media reporting at the societal level; deprioritization of mental health and preventive activities at the community level; interpersonal conflicts, neglect and violence at the relationship level; unemployment, poverty, loneliness and hopelessness at the individual level: all these variables contribute to an increase of depression, anxiety, post‐traumatic stress disorder, harmful use of alcohol, substance abuse, and ultimately suicide risk. Suicide should be prevented by strengthening universal strategies directed to the entire population, including mitigation of unemployment, poverty and inequalities; prioritization of access to mental health care; responsible media reporting, with information about available support; prevention of increased alcohol intake; and restriction of access to lethal means of suicide. Selective interventions should continue to target known vulnerable groups who are socio‐economically disadvantaged, but also new ones such as first responders and health care staff, and the bereaved by COVID‐19 who have been deprived of the final contact with loved ones and funerals. Indicated preventive strategies targeting individuals who display suicidal behaviour should focus on available pharmacological and psychological treatments of mental disorders, ensuring proper follow‐up and chain of care by increased use of telemedicine and other digital means. The scientific community, health care professionals, politicians and decision‐makers will find in this paper a systematic description of the effects of the pandemic on suicide risk at the society, community, family and individual levels, and an overview of how evidence‐based suicide preventive interventions should be adapted. Research is needed to investigate which adaptations are effective and in which con‐texts.

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Section: Telemedicine During the Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Existing and additional challenges to utilizing telemedicine in mental health care have become apparent as well. New protocols for assessment and therapy must be established quickly 213,217 . Privacy, confidentiality and access issues remain 217 .…”

Section: Telemedicine During the Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation of evidence‐based suicide prevention strategies during and after theCOVID‐19 pandemic

et al. 2020

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“…This way, future generations will derive bene ts from our bitter experience. 18 Abbreviations Volume Reduction of Outpatient'Clinics activity…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telemedicine: A cornerstone of healthcare assistance during the recent pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 but also a great opportunity for the future. A pilot experience in the largest Teaching Hospital in Southern Italy.

Tartaglia

Anna

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: At the end of 2019, Wuhan, China, experienced an outbreak of a novel coronavirus. The epidemiologic burden of COVID-19 is constantly evolving, with numbers of infected persons, hospital admissions and deaths growing near exponentially. The recent pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide caught the health care systems in every country around the world by storm and without a proper defense mechanism to cope and control such a pandemic. In fact, this outbreak is causing an overwhelming burden of illnesses that stresses health system capacity and adverse effects on healthcare workers including the risk of infection. In this context, telemedicine has been promoted and scaled up to reduce the risk of transmission. In this paper the Authors reports their own experience with Telemedicine. Methods: During the “lockdown”, the AOU“Federico II” was forced to create peculiar pathways to ensure the safety of the patients and medical staff, and to keep an appropriate medical assistance, therefore it was introduced the telemedicine, wherever possible, by modifying the Information Technology (IT) related to the waiting times, rescheduling all booked visits and identifying several outpatient’s clinics suitable for telemedicine activities. Besides, safe pathways were properly studied to screening all patients who had a medical consult in person.Results: Since the introduction of telemedicine service, 953 consultations were provided in this way, about 13 % of all medical consults delivered by AOU “Federico II” in this period; 97,38% of them were follow-up visits, that otherwise would have been missed during the current pandemic, so an economic loss has been avoided. In addition, it has been calculated that, using Telemedicine visits vs a face-to-face consultation, about 65-70% of direct costs were spared by our Healthcare Company.Conclusions: Telemedicine has been the keystone that has allowed a rapid, appropriate response of whole overloaded healthcare systems to current Pandemic, and, as reported by Ohannessian et al., all stakeholders are encouraged to address the challenges and collaborate to promote the safe and evidence-based use of telemedicine during the current pandemic and future outbreaks, and the COVID-19 pandemic is a call to adopt the necessary regulatory changes supporting wide adoption of telemedicine.

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“…Hopefully, these examples, new U.S. and other government's support, along with other lessons from around the world that have been well documented [29][30][31][32] will ensure continuation, expansion, and sustainability of current enthusiasm for telemedicine across the world, and in all clinical disciplines.…”

Section: Covid-19 and The Rise Of Telemedicinementioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective on COVID-19: Finally, Telemedicine at Center Stage

Latifi

Doarn

2020

Telemedicine and e-Health

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117

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The new world order caused by COVID-19 virus, associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome, multiple organ failure, and very high mortality, has brought about many changes to our world. Suddenly, the medical community, and those who finance the health care sector, realized that telemedicine and telepresence are applicable, desirable, acceptable, and much sought after by our patients and we can manage just about every disease and condition. Although, by and large, telemedicine has faced challenges and perhaps some resistance, despite its great potential, it has become evident that telemedicine can provide rapid, safe, and high-quality care remotely during this pandemic, the largest one since 1918. Perhaps one benefit of suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic will be the establishment of a new virtual medical world order, and that telemedicine has taken its deserving place in health care: prime time and a center stage.

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Telemedicine and the COVID-19 Pandemic, Lessons for the Future

Cited by 509 publications

References 0 publications

Adaptation of evidence‐based suicide prevention strategies during and after theCOVID‐19 pandemic

Adaptation of evidence‐based suicide prevention strategies during and after theCOVID‐19 pandemic

Telemedicine: A cornerstone of healthcare assistance during the recent pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 but also a great opportunity for the future. A pilot experience in the largest Teaching Hospital in Southern Italy.

Perspective on COVID-19: Finally, Telemedicine at Center Stage

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