Location
Philadelphia, PA
Start Date
3-5-2023 1:00 PM
End Date
3-5-2023 4:00 PM
Description
INTRODUCTION: As new technology advances and the world becomes increasingly connected, medical care and physician-patient interactions have changed. Telemedicine, though present in different forms for many decades, has grown, and its use is changing at a faster-than-ever pace. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the utility of different telemedicine platforms and has led to an expansion in its capabilities.
OBJECTIVES: To explore the evolution of telemedicine, its multiple functions, and how this technology has continued to develop since the COVID-19 pandemic in various medical specialties.
METHODS: PubMed was used to assess published studies that either incorporated telehealth resources in their research or evaluated the efficacy of telehealth in different specialties of medicine. Search terms used were “telehealth”, “telemedicine”, and “efficacy”. Additional keywords of “neuropathic pain”, “pulmonology” or “respiratory”, “critical care” or “intensive care”, and “dermatology” were used when exploring specific specialties of pain management, pulmonology, critical care, and dermatology, respectively. Medical specialties assessed were Anesthesiology and Pain Management, Dermatology, Cardiology, Nutrition and Diabetes Management, Pulmonology, Psychiatry, and Critical Care. Studies demonstrating various use of telehealth methods were selected from studies both before 2019 and after 2020 to compare telemedicine capabilities prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to after the COVID-19 crisis.
RESULTS: Through this literature analysis, telemedicine has been shown to provide high levels of patient satisfaction, efficacy of treatment, and increased access to medical providers by patients. It was also found that different procedures of telemedicine are more effective in certain specialties than others, requiring the integration of specific technologies depending on the treatment process. Some pre-COVID-19 studies demonstrated that the use of telemedicine was not as effective as in-person care, showing that not all methods of telemedicine are equally effective in all specialties or for all patient-care plans.
CONCLUSION: Literature has shown effectiveness in implementation of telemedicine across many specialties in a variety of clinical settings, disease pathologies, and patient-care plans. Although widely established, some studies show unsuccessful use of telehealth technologies.
There is a need for further research to find the best tools for each specialty and disease treatment plan so that optimal practices incorporating telemedicine into patient care can be identified. Future studies should also investigate practices to ensure equitable access to telemedicine amongst all patient populations.
Embargo Period
7-5-2023
Included in
Review of telemedicine use as it expands since the COVID-19 Pandemic
Philadelphia, PA
INTRODUCTION: As new technology advances and the world becomes increasingly connected, medical care and physician-patient interactions have changed. Telemedicine, though present in different forms for many decades, has grown, and its use is changing at a faster-than-ever pace. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the utility of different telemedicine platforms and has led to an expansion in its capabilities.
OBJECTIVES: To explore the evolution of telemedicine, its multiple functions, and how this technology has continued to develop since the COVID-19 pandemic in various medical specialties.
METHODS: PubMed was used to assess published studies that either incorporated telehealth resources in their research or evaluated the efficacy of telehealth in different specialties of medicine. Search terms used were “telehealth”, “telemedicine”, and “efficacy”. Additional keywords of “neuropathic pain”, “pulmonology” or “respiratory”, “critical care” or “intensive care”, and “dermatology” were used when exploring specific specialties of pain management, pulmonology, critical care, and dermatology, respectively. Medical specialties assessed were Anesthesiology and Pain Management, Dermatology, Cardiology, Nutrition and Diabetes Management, Pulmonology, Psychiatry, and Critical Care. Studies demonstrating various use of telehealth methods were selected from studies both before 2019 and after 2020 to compare telemedicine capabilities prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to after the COVID-19 crisis.
RESULTS: Through this literature analysis, telemedicine has been shown to provide high levels of patient satisfaction, efficacy of treatment, and increased access to medical providers by patients. It was also found that different procedures of telemedicine are more effective in certain specialties than others, requiring the integration of specific technologies depending on the treatment process. Some pre-COVID-19 studies demonstrated that the use of telemedicine was not as effective as in-person care, showing that not all methods of telemedicine are equally effective in all specialties or for all patient-care plans.
CONCLUSION: Literature has shown effectiveness in implementation of telemedicine across many specialties in a variety of clinical settings, disease pathologies, and patient-care plans. Although widely established, some studies show unsuccessful use of telehealth technologies.
There is a need for further research to find the best tools for each specialty and disease treatment plan so that optimal practices incorporating telemedicine into patient care can be identified. Future studies should also investigate practices to ensure equitable access to telemedicine amongst all patient populations.