TELEMEDICINE WIDELY VIEWED AS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR DELIVERING CARE
Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Jul 25 2022
After experiencing a rapid expansion early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey indicates that
telemedicine is now widely viewed as an effective means for delivering care. In results published online on
June 15 in NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery, a majority of respondents credited telemedicine with
improving patient health, providing good quality care and increasing access for vulnerable populations.
[5] However, the results also point to challenges that must be addressed as this field becomes more established.
According to the survey, 84 percent in the United States agreed that telemedicine increased access for
vulnerable populations – a result that reflects the ability of telemedicine to reach people who would
otherwise go without care, according to Dr. Sharma (professor and chair of emergency medicine at Weill
Cornell Medicine). Despite this encouraging statistic, disparities remain. Access to telemedicine – for reasons
[10] ranging from language barriers to lack of high-speed internet connection – ranked as the number one
challenge facing the field.
The results also highlighted other areas for improvement. While in-person care is evaluated using quality
metrics, such as rates of infections, these measures are much less common in telemedicine. Only 28
percent of U.S. respondents said their organizations currently apply quality metrics to telemedicine, while
[15] approximately 38 percent say their institution offers training on how to, for example, perform an exam
remotely.
“This global report demonstrates a clear need for telemedicine beyond the pandemic setting,” Dr. Sharma
said. “It also drives home that this modality, like any other in health care, must meet expectations of quality,
training and access, and standards of care. Essentially, this service cannot be an afterthought. It requires a
[20] comprehensive approach to get it right and to make a meaningful impact.”
Adapted from news-medical.net. Accessed August 22 2022.
While in-person care is evaluated using quality metrics, such as rates of infections,
these measures are much less common in telemedicine. (l. 12-13)
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