Telemedicine, the current COVID-19 pandemic and the future: a narrative review and perspectives moving forward in the USA

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Top Highlights

• The advantages of telemedicine moving forward include its cost-effectiveness, ability to extend access to specialty services and its potential to help mitigate the looming physician shortage.

• It is critically important that changes are made to fully immerse telemedicine services into the healthcare landscape in order to be prepared for future pandemics as well as to reap the benefits of this service in the future.

• Telemedicine is a service that is rapidly evolving to provide increased access to high-quality healthcare that is efficient and cost-effective, especially in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic

• During the current pandemic, telemedicine has the potential to greatly improve access to quality, affordable care for patients while maintaining physical distancing for the safety of both patients and providers

• we aim to discuss the evolution of the telemedicine landscape, its utilisation during the current pandemic and how we expect this technology to be implemented in the postpandemic world.

• to interact face to face with providers in real-time via live video, also known as synchronous telemedicine.

• we use telemedicine measurement devices such as smartphone cameras, digital stethoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, otoscopes and wearable biosensors to further improve the telemedicine experience for both patients and providers. The use of these mobile devices to record and transmit data to healthcare professionals is referred to as RPM

• Telemedicine can also greatly decrease the time it takes to receive medical care. Between travel time to healthcare facilities, waiting room time, and time actually obtaining medical care, Americans spend an average of 123 min per visit, with an average face-to-face time with a physician of 20.5 min.34 Telemedicine appointments may virtually eliminate travel and waiting times, dramatically increasing the proportion of patients’ face-to-face time with their physicians.

• telemedicine may play a role in reducing healthcare costs to the patient. Appropriate remote monitoring of patients’ well-being and chronic medical conditions can help patients avoid costly emergency department visits or hospitalisations. Telemedicine has been found to save patients an average of US$19–US$121 per visit, with savings primarily generated by avoidance of emergency department visits.35