key: cord-0724918-oo3s4oiy
authors: Elkbuli, Adel; Ehrlich, Haley; McKenney, Mark
title: The effective use of telemedicine to save lives and maintain structure in a healthcare system: Current response to COVID-1
date: 2020-04-07
journal: Am J Emerg Med
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.04.003
sha: 6e411e03104af1ec10a8caf500b7d41be7e6101c
doc_id: 724918
cord_uid: oo3s4oiy

nan

J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f Physicians can employ virtual communication with patients in the form of telemedicine. 4 Telemedicine allows interactions with patients while adhering to social distancing. Patients at risk, may benefit from staying at home, reducing exposure to others, while receiving medical care. Elderly populations have more medical conditions/comorbidities thus requiring increased doctor visits. With telemedicine, elderly patients can continue their care, lowering their nonemergent office visits. It is essential to employ all modes of reducing transmission and telemedicine allows this without compromising care.

Those in isolation can communicate with the healthcare team, reducing the times a team member has to cross into the isolation zone in full PPE. Telemedicine could be used effectively to monitor obstetrics and provide maternal care with minimal risk of exposure. 5 Telemedicine could allow providers to triage patients, lessening the burden on Emergency Departments.

Emergency care providers, therefore, can ascertain which patients need immediate care or intervention versus going to an urgent care clinic, office follow-up, or local testing center for COVID-19 for those with flu-like symptoms. 6 The impact of telecommunication goes beyond patient care. The result of this global pandemic includes the closing of schools and childcare centers. The lack of childcare for healthcare workers can result in severe disruption in the healthcare workforce. Without childcare, healthcare teams are further reduced which strains the healthcare system. 6 To combat this, many institutions set up online forums for healthcare workers to find childcare. Our ability to control this pandemic relies on the strength and availability of our healthcare teams. If our team members are unable to employ proper childcare, then there is less healthcare workers to provide patient care and therefore there is a decreased fighting force.

Though telemedicine has many advantages, there remains a few obvious drawbacks, including patient access to technology, the potential of missed findings on exam, and HIPAA regulations. Many advancements have been made to modify smart devices to be used as smart stethoscopes, otoscopes and take high definition photographs for physician assessment. 3, 7 Still, there is something about physically examining a patient with reassuring hands.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the immediate need for alternate routes of communication. From both the educational and patient care aspects, hospitals and training programs must utilize telecommunications to continue to provide the highest standard of patient care throughout the pandemic. Virtual communication is essential to maintain the connections between the healthcare workforce throughout the nation, especially with teams and patients within hot spots. It is crucial to share all of the precautionary and treatment measures for COVID-19 to minimize exposure and employ best practices for better outcomes.

Telecommunications during the COVID-19 pandemic will provide a foundation for those across all levels of the healthcare system to continue with their respective responsibilities, lessening the adverse impacts of the current state of affairs and help with flattening the COVID-19 pandemic curve. We must take appropriate actions and precautionary measures now, administratively, educationally, and clinically, to prevent avoidable adverse outcomes including unnecessary deaths.

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Virtually Perfect? Telemedicine for Covid-19