Telemedicine, the current COVID-19 pandemic and the future: a narrative review and perspectives moving forward in the USA

Abstract

A narrative review was conducted to examine the current state of the utilisation of telemedicine amid the current COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate the benefits of continuing telemedicine usage in the future. A literature review was performed for articles related to telemedicine. Databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library and Ovid MEDLINE were searched. Three reviewers independently performed article selection based on relevance to our topic. We included all articles between 1990 and 2020 related to telemedicine using the following keywords: ‘telemedicine’, ‘telehealth’, ‘policy’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘regulation’, ‘rural’, ‘physical examination’, ‘future’. A total of 60 articles were identified, and through careful selection we narrowed the final number of articles to 42 based on relevance to our topic. Telemedicine has been rapidly evolving over the past several decades. Issues with regulation and reimbursement have prevented its full immersion into the healthcare system. During the current pandemic, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services have expanded access to telemedicine services. The advantages of telemedicine moving forward include its cost-effectiveness, ability to extend access to specialty services and its potential to help mitigate the looming physician shortage. Disadvantages include lack of available technological resources in certain parts of the country, issues with security of patient data, and challenges in performing the traditional patient examination. It is critically important that changes are made to fully immerse telemedicine services into the healthcare landscape in order to be prepared for future pandemics as well as to reap the benefits of this service in the future.

Willingness to Adopt mHealth Among Chinese Parents During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Cross-sectional Questionnaire Study

“…Many measures were taken to accelerate the adoption of mHealth, including practical guidance for individual practices to quickly adopt mHealth in response to COVID-19 [ 22 , 27 ]. Moreover, the range of providers who could deliver care through mHealth was broadened, and rules around patient eligibility and audiovisual equipment requirements were relaxed specifically to address COVID-19 [ 22 , 28 ].…”

COVID-19 pandemic effects on orthopaedic surgeons in British Columbia

“…Before COVID-19, telemedicine was scarcely more used in Europe, Korea or Japan, but it has been more prevalent in the USA [17,18]. However, since COVID-19, it has made a significant jump in its use and place in healthcare [19]. Therefore, telemedicine will most likely have a greater impact in the delivery of healthcare following the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as a premiere screening tool as seen in British Columbia and worldwide [20].…”

Informed Consent for Scholarly Articles during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…On the positive side, it is important to acknowledge that the high infectivity of COVID-19 has forced the health community to adapt to new ways of interaction quickly. 22 The use of existing technologies has led to a decrease in the number of patients attending hospital facilities, where they could easily be exposed. Teleconsultations are being used for delivering healthcare.…”