Geriatric Telemedicine: Ensuring continuity of healthcare services to the older patients in Kedah, Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Geriatric medicine practice requires a multidimensional and multidisciplinary assessment to provide a holistic overview of the older patients. During the current COVID-19 pandemic time, it becomes more critical to ensure that the elderly patients continue to receive regular geriatric care for their pre-existing chronic illness and at the same time avoid unnecessary exposure to COVID-19 virus. Geriatric telemedicine clinic provides a convenient solution to ensure continuity of care for the older patients. Careful patient selection, technical requirement, geriatric assessment via audio-visual communication, and caretaker involvement were among the important issues discussed in this article.