Themes

Telemedicine: Bridging Gaps or Creating New Challenges?

What is this about?

By delivering medical expertise to remote areas, telemedicine is transforming the healthcare industry. However, as this area develops, research needs to address issues including patient privacy, fair access, and upholding confidence in online consultations. The goal is to promote conversation about striking a balance between innovation and accountability by examining best practices and moral conundrums encountered by researchers in increasingly sophisticated telemedicine (1).

Why is this important?

Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has expanded quickly and is now a vital way to provide treatment when in-person visits are not practical (2). But it brings up important issues for researchers: How can digital platforms safeguard confidentiality and privacy? Do online consultations work as well as in-person care? Do all patients have equitable access to telemedicine technologies, particularly those in underserved communities? Furthermore, there is a chance of data breaches and misuse when patient data is gathered and stored on telemedicine platforms. These difficulties force researchers to use exacting techniques to evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and equity of telemedicine systems. Telemedicine may unintentionally increase healthcare inequities or erode public confidence in the healthcare system if these problems are not resolved (3).

For whom is this important?

Decision makersEthics committee membersPatients/participantsResearch managershealth care professionals

What are the best practices?

Frameworks for Data Privacy and Security: To protect patient privacy during telemedicine consultations, researchers have created encrypted platforms. Health Level Seven (HL7) standards, for example, provide safe data transfer in accordance with HIPAA and GDPR, two laws governing the healthcare industry.

Equity in Access: Some research focuses on removing obstacles to digital literacy by creating user-friendly interfaces or offering healthcare providers and patients training. To increase access, telemedicine is frequently integrated with regional healthcare networks in rural pilot initiatives.

Ethics Training for Researchers: Academic institutions and organizations provide researchers specialized ethics training that covers topics such as addressing cultural sensitivity in telemedicine and obtaining informed consent for virtual interventions.

Case Studies Following Pandemics: Lessons learnt from COVID-19 have been brought to light by research, including the significance of adaptability in providing hybrid telemedicine and in-person care models to meet the needs of a wide range of patients.

References:

Chaet D, Clearfield R, Sabin JE, Skimming K. Ethical practice in Telehealth and Telemedicine. Journal of General Internal Medicine [Internet]. 2017 Jun 26;32(10):1136–40.
Greiwe J. Telemedicine Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports. 2022 Jan 21.
Khoong EC, Sharma AE, Gupta K, Adler-Milstein J, Sarkar U. The Abrupt Expansion of Ambulatory Telemedicine: Implications for Patient Safety. Journal of General Internal Medicine [Internet]. 2022 Jan 19;37(5):1270–4. ‌

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contributed to this theme. Latest contribution was Jan 25, 2025

Other information

Who

Ante Pelivan