Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Sep 30;95(3):367-370.
eCollection 2022 Sep.

Practical and Ethical Considerations in Telehealth: Pitfalls and Opportunities

Sarah C Hull  1   2 , Joyce M Oen-Hsiao  1 , Erica S Spatz  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Practical and Ethical Considerations in Telehealth: Pitfalls and Opportunities

Sarah C Hull et al. Yale J Biol Med. .

Abstract

Telehealth has been a long-awaited advancement with the potential to improve efficiency, convenience, and quality in healthcare. However, as telehealth becomes integrated into routine clinical care, it is imperative to consider the practical and ethical implications that could undermine or devalue care delivery. The medical profession must ensure that it is implemented judiciously and with robust quality standards, guided by fair and equitable policies that balance patient autonomy with rigorous standards of care and access. Such a system must recognize the opportunity for more patient input as stakeholders to tailor care to their needs and preferences, while also acknowledging the risk of suboptimal care if convenience is prioritized over quality. More studies of optimal care models are needed to integrate data in terms of both stakeholder input and outcomes.

Keywords: Access; Convenience; Justice; Quality; Telehealth; Telemedicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Adams L, Lester S, Hoon E, van der Haak H, Proudman C, Hall C, et al. Patient satisfaction and acceptability with telehealth at specialist medical outpatient clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Intern Med J. 2021. Jul;51(7):1028–37. 10.1111/imj.15205 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Singh A, Mountjoy N, McElroy D, Mittal S, Al Hemyari B, Coffey N, et al. Patient Perspectives With Telehealth Visits in Cardiology During COVID-19: Online Patient Survey Study. JMIR Cardio. 2021. Jan;5(1):e25074. 10.2196/25074 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tolchin B, Hull SC, Kraschel K. Triage and justice in an unjust pandemic: ethical allocation of scarce medical resources in the setting of racial and socioeconomic disparities. J Med Ethics. 2020. Oct;medethics-2020-106457.; Epub ahead of print. - PubMed
    1. Non AL, Gravlee CC, Mulligan CJ. Education, genetic ancestry, and blood pressure in African Americans and Whites. Am J Public Health. 2012. Aug;102(8):1559–65. 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300448 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cajita MI, Cajita TR, Han HR. Health Literacy and Heart Failure: A Systematic Review. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2016. Mar-Apr;31(2):121–30. 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000229 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources