The Rise of Telemedicine: Lessons from a Global Pandemic

Abstract

Telemedicine has been available for healthcare systems to assist patient care for many years; however, it was not until recently that the field of telemedicine exploded. Inconsistent coverage of telemedicine services as well as a general level of unfamiliarity with the technology required to perform telemedicine services contributed to the lack of its widespread use. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic drove the institution of telemedicine in all areas of healthcare. Healthcare institutions around the world adapted both inpatient and outpatient services in order to utilise telemedicine. The implementation of telemedicine can partly be attributed to the expansion of insurance coverage as well as the relaxation of technology requirements to avoid Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations. During the global pandemic, telemedicine helped to preserve personal protective equipment during a worldwide shortage, protect healthcare workers from being infected, and allowed the monitoring of patients’ chronic conditions without putting them at risk by attending medical settings. The COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the advantages that telemedicine has to offer and has served as the push many health systems needed to implement telemedicine services more widely across these institutions. This article highlights the role of telemedicine during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.

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