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Disaster Medicine and Public Health... May 2022Access to care services in remote areas is challenging. The use of telemedicine technology in these areas facilitates access to health care. This study aimed to... (Review)
Review
Access to care services in remote areas is challenging. The use of telemedicine technology in these areas facilitates access to health care. This study aimed to summarize the current research on telemedicine in remote areas such as mountains and forests. A systematic search was conducted in databases including Medline (through PubMed), Scopus, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, and ISI Web of Science to identify relevant studies published until May 12, 2021. Screening of retrieved articles for selection and inclusion in the study was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. A total of 807 articles were identified after removing duplicates, from which 20 studies meeting our inclusion criteria were selected. Challenges, opportunities, and equipment required to use telemedicine in remote areas were extracted from the selected studies. The results revealed that telemedicine implementation in remote areas had many challenges, including harsh weather conditions, Internet connectivity problems, difficult equipment transportation, and ethical issues. Telemedicine also has many benefits, such as cost and time savings for patients, improving patients' quality of life, and improving patient satisfaction. Telemedicine for inhabitants of forested and mountainous areas facilitates rapid access to health care and enhances patient satisfaction. Distinguishing advantages and barriers as well as reducing restrictions will have an essential role in accelerating the use of this technology.
Topics: Humans; Quality of Life; Telemedicine; Transportation; Vulnerable Populations
PubMed: 35586911
DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2022.76 -
Current Problems in Surgery Dec 2021
Review
Topics: Health Services Accessibility; Healthcare Disparities; Humans; Mentoring; Rural Health Services; Surgical Procedures, Operative; Telemedicine
PubMed: 34895561
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpsurg.2021.100986 -
Journal of Pharmacy Practice Apr 2020Telepharmacy is a rapidly growing area of communication within pharmaceutical care delivery, especially in rural areas. The purpose of this literature review is to... (Review)
Review
Telepharmacy is a rapidly growing area of communication within pharmaceutical care delivery, especially in rural areas. The purpose of this literature review is to determine how telepharmacy is currently being practiced within community and ambulatory pharmacy settings, its effectiveness, and how it is being regulated across the United States. A literature review was performed using PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and the Google search engine. State-specific rules were researched using board of pharmacy and legislative online resources. Telepharmacy has been successfully implemented within community pharmacy settings through the creation of remote dispensing sites. The increasing focus of state regulations on telepharmacy services and practices shows the growth and acceptance of this modality of pharmacy practice. There is wide variation among state regulations pertaining to the setup and operation of telepharmacies. Trends in telemedicine show that telepharmaceutical care is likely to continue to expand as it allows for a better allocation of resources and access to more patients. However, research needs to be conducted to specifically analyze the value and place for telepharmacy services.
Topics: Community Pharmacy Services; Drug Prescriptions; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Referral and Consultation; State Government; Telemedicine; United States
PubMed: 30060679
DOI: 10.1177/0897190018791060 -
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders Mar 2023BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders launched a Collection on digital health to get a sense of where the wind is blowing, and what impact these technologies are and will have...
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders launched a Collection on digital health to get a sense of where the wind is blowing, and what impact these technologies are and will have on musculoskeletal medicine. This editorial summarizes findings and focuses on some key topics, which are valuable as digital health establishes itself in patient care. Elements discussed are digital tools for the diagnosis, prognosis and evaluation of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, coupled together with advances in methodologies to analyse health records and imaging. Moreover, the acceptability and validity of these digital advances is discussed. In sum, this editorial and the papers presented in this article collection on Digital health in musculoskeletal care will give the interested reader both a glance towards which future we are heading, and which new challenges these advances bring.
Topics: Humans; Telemedicine; Musculoskeletal Diseases
PubMed: 36918856
DOI: 10.1186/s12891-023-06309-w -
Telemedicine Journal and E-health : the... Jul 2022The use of Telemedicine is growing, and its application in palliative medicine may facilitate patient care and be a solution to the growing pressures on hospital... (Review)
Review
The use of Telemedicine is growing, and its application in palliative medicine may facilitate patient care and be a solution to the growing pressures on hospital services in these pandemic times. The main objective of this review is to describe the current use of telemedicine in palliative care and assess stakeholders' views on the initiatives that have been implemented worldwide regarding digital service standards. : Articles published between 2010 and 2020 were identified through PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Google Scholar searches. We used Arksey and O'Malley's five-step framework to delimit and guide the initial search results. : The search identified 291 articles, of which 16 are included in this review. The selected studies were sufficiently detailed to allow their evaluation and answer our research questions. In addition, Telemedicine was used for patient and caregiver support and professional education. The use of Telemedicine for patient and caregiver support and professional education. Telemedicine empowers patients and increases their functional capacity. The imperative need to dictate implementation policies and ethical issues are some of the pending questions. In countries where a Telemedicine project has been initiated, it is valued as a good option for continuity of care, but all those involved would like face-to-face contact first, even if it is not mandatory.
Topics: Humans; Palliative Care; Telemedicine
PubMed: 34871034
DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2021.0441 -
Sexual Medicine Reviews Jun 2023Telemedicine gained wide acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was deemed critical for patient care when lockdowns were implemented worldwide. While there is... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Telemedicine gained wide acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was deemed critical for patient care when lockdowns were implemented worldwide. While there is evidence to suggest that urology patients were receptive to telemedicine, no systematic review has been done to date on andrology patients and their perception of telemedicine.
METHODS
Three electronic databases, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, were searched from their inception until June 2022 for relevant articles. Two independent teams reviewed abstracts and extracted data from the selected manuscripts. A meta-analysis was completed in line with PRISMA 2020 and AMSTAR Guidelines. For our study, we limited telemedicine to communication through videoconferencing or telephone encounters between patients and medical professionals. Positive response to telemedicine was defined as patients "wishing for telemedicine consultation", "preferring telemedicine over in person", "accepting the current telemedicine arrangement", "having needs addressed with teleconsultation", or "willingness to do a teleconsultation".
RESULTS
Of the 1128 retrieved abstracts, 56 underwent full-text review and 12 were included in the final analysis, comprising a total cohort of >4021 cases. Video visits were evaluated in 5 studies, telephone encounters were analyzed in 2 studies, and both methods were examined in 1 randomized control study. Three studies showed that andrology and sexual medicine are compatible with telemedicine, with few 30- and 90-day in-person revisit rates. Telemedicine was shown to save an average cost of US$149-$252 per patient, and 8 studies that directly assessed andrology patient perceptions of telemedicine showed that most patients had a "positive perception."Pooled analyses of the positive responses to telemedicine were 68.7% (95% CI, 49.4%-83.1%, P = 0.057), and those of patients who recommended telemedicine were 65.1% (95% CI, 18.4%-93.9%, P = 0.577). While the percentage of patients recommending telemedicine was high among studies using videoconferencing, the percentage dropped in studies using telephone visits only. The difference between recommending video and telephone practices was statistically significant, with 84.6% pooled proportion for recommending video practice compared to 38.9% pooled proportion for recommending telephone practice, P = 0.035. In the telephone-only encounters, up to 27.1% of patients preferred in-person visits, as security and privacy of any mode of telecommunication were of concern.
CONCLUSIONS
Most patients have a positive perception of telemedicine, particularly with videoconferencing and less so with telephone visits. These results suggest that telemedicine will likely continue to play a pivotal role in andrology and sexual medicine practices.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Pandemics; Andrology; Communicable Disease Control; Telemedicine; Remote Consultation
PubMed: 37045478
DOI: 10.1093/sxmrev/qead008 -
The Veterinary Record May 2021
Topics: Animals; Referral and Consultation; Remote Consultation; Telemedicine
PubMed: 33960448
DOI: 10.1002/vetr.485 -
Annals of Internal Medicine Nov 2020
Topics: Aged; Health Services for the Aged; Hearing Loss; Humans; Socioeconomic Factors; Telemedicine
PubMed: 32777187
DOI: 10.7326/M20-1322 -
Current Opinion in Ophthalmology Jul 2024The growing push to integrate telemedicine into ophthalmic practices requires physicians to have a thorough understanding of ophthalmic telemedicine's applications,... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The growing push to integrate telemedicine into ophthalmic practices requires physicians to have a thorough understanding of ophthalmic telemedicine's applications, limitations, and recent advances in order to provide well tolerated and appropriate clinical care. This review aims to provide an overview of recent advancements in the use of ophthalmic telemedicine for anterior segment eye examinations.
RECENT FINDINGS
Virtual care for anterior segment evaluation relies on appropriate technology, novel workflows, and appropriate clinical case selection. Recent advances, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, have highlighted the utility of home-based assessments for visual acuity, external evaluation, tonometry, and refraction. Additionally, innovative workflows incorporating office-based testing into virtual care, termed 'hybrid telemedicine', enable high-quality ophthalmic testing to inform clinical decision-making.
SUMMARY
Novel digital tools and workflows enable high-quality anterior segment evaluation and management for select ophthalmic concerns. This review highlights the clinical tools and workflows necessary to enable anterior segment telehealth.
Topics: Humans; Telemedicine; COVID-19; Anterior Eye Segment; Ophthalmology; SARS-CoV-2; Eye Diseases; Pandemics
PubMed: 38813740
DOI: 10.1097/ICU.0000000000001052 -
Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of... Jun 2020Digital health technologies improve outcomes within many health care fields. They include telemedicine and telehealth, remote patient monitoring, mobile health... (Review)
Review
Digital health technologies improve outcomes within many health care fields. They include telemedicine and telehealth, remote patient monitoring, mobile health applications, data analytics, and social networking. Patients, providers, and insurers benefit from digital health, with time and cost savings as well as access to aggregate data, used to predict disease and outcomes and allowing tailored solutions. Some essentials of digital health implementation include champion providers, patients in need, technology, peer support system, understanding laws and regulations, seed funding, and sustainability. Successful programs can and will be established, leading health care into a more value-based future largely focused on direct-to-consumer care.
Topics: Delivery of Health Care; Direct-To-Consumer Screening and Testing; Female; Gynecology; Humans; Mobile Applications; Monitoring, Physiologic; Obstetrics; Smartphone; Social Networking; Telemedicine
PubMed: 32451013
DOI: 10.1016/j.ogc.2020.02.011