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. 2021 Feb;27(2):121-123.
doi: 10.1089/tmj.2020.0282. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

Advancing Telemedicine Within Family Medicine's Core Values

Anthony Cheng  1 , Cirila Estela Vasquez Guzman  1   2 , Tyler C Duffield  1 , Holly Hofkamp  1
Affiliations

Advancing Telemedicine Within Family Medicine's Core Values

Anthony Cheng et al. Telemed J E Health. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Telemedicine adoption has been gradual but accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important for us to pause and consider how this impacts family medicine. How do we ground ourselves so that we use technology to enhance our practice while maintaining fundamental family medicine values? In this article, we explore how telemedicine interacts with five family medicine tenants: contextual care, continuity of care, access to care, comprehensive care, and care coordination. Keeping this framework in mind and using a health equity lens can help us retain fundamental family medicine values as we adapt to rapid technological change.

Keywords: family medicine; health equity; telemedicine; virtual visits.

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Conflict of interest statement

No competing financial interests exist.

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