The worldwide impact of telemedicine during COVID-19: current evidence and recommendations for the future

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has emerged worldwide as an indispensable resource to improve the surveillance of patients, curb the spread of disease, facilitate timely identification and management of ill people, but, most importantly, guarantee the continuity of care of frail patients with multiple chronic diseases. Although during COVID-19 telemedicine has thrived, and its adoption has moved forward in many countries, important gaps still remain. Major issues to be addressed to enable large scale implementation of telemedicine include: (1) establishing adequate policies to legislate telemedicine, license healthcare operators, protect patients' privacy, and implement reimbursement plans; (2) creating and disseminating practical guidelines for the routine clinical use of telemedicine in different contexts; (3) increasing in the level of integration of telemedicine with traditional healthcare services; (4) improving healthcare professionals' and patients' awareness of and willingness to use telemedicine; and (5) overcoming inequalities among countries and population subgroups due to technological, infrastructural, and economic barriers. If all these requirements are met in the near future, remote management of patients will become an indispensable resource for the healthcare systems worldwide and will ultimately improve the management of patients and the quality of care.

Keywords: Africa; America; Asia; Australia; COVID-19; Europe; m-health; telehealth; telemedicine.

Figure 1

Geographic area (A), income level of the countries (B), purpose of telemedicine use (C), and medical specialty (D) of published articles included in a scoping review of the literature during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Redrawn with permission^[8].

Figure 2

Trends in in-person, telephone, and video consultations with general practitioners during the pandemic in Australia. Reproduced with permission^[82].

Figure 3

Weekly number of tests in pharmacies and general practitioners’ offices (A) and home data (C) collected before, during, and after the lockdown in Italy, and weekly frequency (%) of abnormal tests collected in the same settings and periods (B and D, respectively). Redrawn with permission^[109].

Figure 4

General practitioners (GP) consultations in the United Kingdom per 1000 registered patients, February to July 2019 and February to July 2020. Reproduced with permission^[131].