Telemedicine emerged as the safest approach to delivering health care in the wake of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Amidst calls for social distancing, the practice offered a reliable canvas for providing healthcare to those that need it while reducing new exposures to the virus. A recent survey also indicates that more practitioners are leaning towards telemedicine in the future. Up to 35% of healthcare workers plan to continue with the practice in the aftermath of the pandemic. For the 1300 physicians that took part in the online survey, 76% expressed concerns over establishing safe environments for their patients when operations are reopened.
All Healthcare Practitioners in Support of Telemedicine
The digital survey was available for healthcare practitioners in different fields, including dermatology, neurology, OB/GYN and pediatrics, oncology, ophthalmology, psychiatry, urology, and primary health care, among others. All practitioners seem to agree on the merits of telemedicine and its usefulness for short-term and long-term healthcare provision. Many believe telemedicine can help with acute disease diagnosis and tracking, chronic disease management, and related information. Telemedicine became invaluable early in 2020 as a way to facilitate healthcare amidst calls for social distancing and promise to demonstrate efficacy in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Adjusting the Healthcare System to Accommodate Telemedicine
Operations are resuming in various regions, and the task for healthcare providers remains to set up a safe environment for patients. For most practitioners, this implies coming up with a framework to identify jobs and services that can be easily lent to the online healthcare model. It is also crucial to retain all other measures to prevent new exposures until a vaccine is available. Oncologists, notably, identified the importance of training healthcare practitioners for the telemedicine field moving forward.
Summary
The merits of telemedicine are quite straightforward. However, there are various aspects to ensure the creation of a functional canvas and standards that can be used by practitioners across the world. If recent stats are anything to go by, telemedicine is set for longevity and could become part and parcel of healthcare provision.