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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Aug 2023Telemedicine includes the delivery of health-care services and sharing of health information across distances. Past research has found that telemedicine can play a role... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Telemedicine includes the delivery of health-care services and sharing of health information across distances. Past research has found that telemedicine can play a role in enhancing complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine (CAIM) while allowing the maintenance of cultural values and ancestral knowledge. This scoping review synthesized evidence regarding the use of telemedicine in the context of CAIM.
METHODS
Following Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework, CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE and AMED databases were searched systematically. The CADTH website was also searched for grey literature. Eligible articles included a CAIM practice or therapy offered through telemedicine, with no restrictions placed on the type of telemedicine technology used. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted to synthesise common themes among the included studies.
RESULTS
Sixty-two articles were included in this synthesis. The following themes emerged: 1) the practitioner view of CAIM delivered through telemedicine, 2) the patient view of CAIM delivered through telemedicine, and 3) the technological impacts of telemedicine delivery of CAIM.
CONCLUSIONS
Studies have shown that telemedicine delivery of CAIM is feasible, acceptable, and results in positive health outcomes. Some barriers remain such as the presence of chronic illness and morbidity, inability to form strong patient-provider relationships relative to face-to-face approaches, and technological difficulties. Future intervention research should focus on reducing such barriers, as well as explore which patient population would realize the greatest benefit from CAIM delivered via telemedicine, and the impact of interventions on providers and caregivers.
Topics: Humans; Integrative Medicine; Telemedicine
PubMed: 37533042
DOI: 10.1186/s12906-023-04100-x -
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 -
Journal of Medical Systems Dec 2022The objective of this paper is to review and analyze the current state of telemedicine and ehealth in the field of vascular surgery. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this paper is to review and analyze the current state of telemedicine and ehealth in the field of vascular surgery.
METHODS
This paper collects the relevant information obtained after reviewing the articles related to telemedicine in vascular surgery, published from 2012 to 2022 contained in scientific databases. In addition, the results obtained are statistically studied based on various factors, such as the year of publication or the search engine. In this way, we obtain a complete vision of the current state of telemedicine in the field of vascular surgery.
RESULTS
After performing this search and applying selection criteria, 29 articles were obtained for subsequent study and discussion, of which 20 were published in the second half of the decade, representing 70% of the results. In the analysis carried out according to the search criteria used, it can be seen that using the word telemedicine we obtained 69% of the articles while with the criteria mHealth and eHealth we only obtained 22% and 9% of the results, respectively. It can be seen that the filter with the most potential content articles was "vascular surgery AND telemedicine". In the analysis performed according to the search engine, it was observed that the Google Scholar database contains 93% of the articles found in the massive search and the relevant articles contained therein represent 52% of the total.
CONCLUSION
An upward trend has been observed in recent years, with a clear increase in the number of publications and much lower figures in the first years. One aspect to highlight is that 47.8% of the articles analyzed focus only on postoperative treatment, which may be due to the help provided by telemedicine in detecting surgical site infections by sending images and videos, this being one of the most common postoperative complications. The analyzed works show the importance of telemedicine in vascular surgery and identify possible future lines of research. In the analysis carried out on the origin of the selected relevant papers, an important interest of the US in this topic is demonstrated since more than 50% of the research contains authors from this country, it is also observed that there is no research from Spain, so this research would be an initial step to determine the weaknesses of telemedicine in this field of medicine and a good opportunity to open a research gap in this branch.
Topics: Humans; Biometry; Databases, Factual; Spain; Telemedicine; Vascular Surgical Procedures
PubMed: 36471095
DOI: 10.1007/s10916-022-01895-z -
Irish Journal of Medical Science Oct 2022In recent years, telemedicine has been increasingly incorporated into medical practice, a process which has now been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As... (Review)
Review
In recent years, telemedicine has been increasingly incorporated into medical practice, a process which has now been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As telemedicine continues to progress, it is necessary for medical institutions to incorporate telemedicine into their curricula, and to provide students with the necessary skills and experience to effectively carry out telemedicine consultations. The purposes of this study are to review the involvement of medical students with telemedicine and to determine both the benefits and the challenges experienced. A literature review on the MEDLINE; CINAHL Plus; APA PsychInfo; Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts; and Health Business Elite databases was performed on September 7, 2020, yielding 561 results. 33 manuscripts were analysed, with the main benefits and challenges experienced by medical students summarized. In addition to increasing their understanding of the importance of telemedicine and the acquisition of telemedicine-specific skills, students may use telemedicine to act as a valuable workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges that students face, such as discomfort with carrying out telemedicine consults and building rapport with patients, may be addressed through the incorporation of telemedicine teaching into the medical curricula through experiential learning. However, other more systemic challenges, such as technical difficulties and cost, need to be examined for the full benefits of telemedicine to be realized. Telemedicine is here to stay and has proven its worth during the COVID-19 pandemic, with medical students embracing its potential in assisting in medical clinics, simulation of clinical placements, and online classrooms.
Topics: COVID-19; Delivery of Health Care; Humans; Pandemics; Students, Medical; Telemedicine
PubMed: 34626350
DOI: 10.1007/s11845-021-02720-1 -
Arquivos de Neuro-psiquiatria Jul 2021After the public health emergency due to COVID-19 was declared in Brazil, the federal government temporarily regulated and authorized the use of telemedicine services...
BACKGROUND
After the public health emergency due to COVID-19 was declared in Brazil, the federal government temporarily regulated and authorized the use of telemedicine services for patient consultation, monitoring, and diagnosis. For more than a decade, neurologists have recognized the benefits of telemedicine in the acute management of stroke patients. However, as the use of telemedicine was restricted until the COVID-19 pandemic, the view of Brazilian neurologists about telemedicine is unknown.
METHODS
All neurologists registered at the Brazilian Academy of Neurology were invited by e-mail to participate in a survey about personal perceptions on telemedicine use.
RESULTS
One hundred sixty-two neurologists from all regions of Brazil answered the online questionnaire. The survey showed that 18.5% of participants worked with telemedicine before the pandemic, while 63.6% reported working with telemedicine during the pandemic. The main telemedicine modalities used during the pandemic were teleorientation and teleconsultation.
DISCUSSION
According to our data, the COVID-19 pandemic deeply influenced the behavior of Brazilian neurologists, who developed a more favorable view about telemedicine and actively searched for information about telemedicine. As there is a need for more training in this area in Brazil, universities and medical societies must strive to improve telemedicine education. Expanding the use of high-quality teleneurology can contribute to a better care for patients with neurological diseases in Brazil.
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Neurologists; Pandemics; Remote Consultation; SARS-CoV-2; Telemedicine
PubMed: 34231649
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X-ANP-2020-0488 -
Journal of Medical Internet Research Apr 2022Telemedicine is increasingly being leveraged, as the need for remote access to health care has been driven by the rising chronic disease incidence and the COVID-19... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Telemedicine is increasingly being leveraged, as the need for remote access to health care has been driven by the rising chronic disease incidence and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also important to understand patients' willingness to pay (WTP) for telemedicine and the factors contributing toward it, as this knowledge may inform health policy planning processes, such as resource allocation or the development of a pricing strategy for telemedicine services. Currently, most of the published literature is focused on cost-effectiveness analysis findings, which guide health care financing from the health system's perspective. However, there is limited exploration of the WTP from a patient's perspective, despite it being pertinent to the sustainability of telemedicine interventions.
OBJECTIVE
To address this gap in research, this study aims to conduct a systematic review to describe the WTP for telemedicine interventions and to identify the factors influencing WTP among patients with chronic diseases in high-income settings.
METHODS
We systematically searched 4 databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and EconLit). A total of 2 authors were involved in the appraisal. Studies were included if they reported the WTP amounts or identified the factors associated with patients' WTP, involved patients aged ≥18 years who were diagnosed with chronic diseases, and were from high-income settings.
RESULTS
A total of 11 studies from 7 countries met this study's inclusion criteria. The proportion of people willing to pay for telemedicine ranged from 19% to 70% across the studies, whereas the values for WTP amounts ranged from US $0.89 to US $821.25. We found a statistically significant correlation of age and distance to a preferred health facility with the WTP for telemedicine. Higher age was associated with a lower WTP, whereas longer travel distance was associated with a higher WTP.
CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of our findings, the following are recommendations that may enhance the WTP: exposure to the telemedicine intervention before assessing the WTP, the lowering of telemedicine costs, and the provision of patient education to raise awareness on telemedicine's benefits and address patients' concerns. In addition, we recommend that future research be directed at standardizing the reporting of WTP studies with the adoption of a common metric for WTP amounts, which may facilitate the generalization of findings and effect estimates.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; COVID-19; Chronic Disease; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Humans; Pandemics; Telemedicine
PubMed: 35416779
DOI: 10.2196/33372 -
Current Allergy and Asthma Reports Sep 2020The purpose of this review is to describe the determinants of satisfaction with telemedicine (TM) and how they compare with in-person visits from both the perspective of... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The purpose of this review is to describe the determinants of satisfaction with telemedicine (TM) and how they compare with in-person visits from both the perspective of patients and of providers.
RECENT FINDINGS
The use of TM will expand only if patients and providers are at least as satisfied with it as they are with in-person visits. Since deviations from expected care can result in reduced satisfaction regardless of the quality of the visit or objective medical outcomes, it is important to understand and to help form those expectations when possible. Patients consistently report 95-100% satisfaction rate with TM when compared with in-person appointments. They tend to cite the convenience of decreased travel times and costs as the main drivers for satisfaction with TM. Providers tend to be satisfied with TM if they have input into its development, there is administrative support, the technology is reliable and easy to use, and if there is adequate reimbursement for its use. Satisfaction with TM is necessary for adoption of this new technology. To improve satisfaction it is important to consider factors that drive it both for patients and for providers.
Topics: Health Personnel; Humans; Patient Satisfaction; Telemedicine
PubMed: 32959158
DOI: 10.1007/s11882-020-00969-7 -
Sleep Medicine Clinics Sep 2020Synchronous telemedicine allows clinicians to expand their reach by using technology to take care of patients who otherwise may not be seen. Establishing a telemedicine... (Review)
Review
Synchronous telemedicine allows clinicians to expand their reach by using technology to take care of patients who otherwise may not be seen. Establishing a telemedicine practice can be daunting. This article outlines how to implement a synchronous telemedicine practice into an existing workflow. Telemedicine-specific considerations are discussed, as well as guidance regarding practice assessment, financial feasibility, technical considerations, and clinical guidance to translate in-person visit skills into an effective virtual visit.
Topics: Humans; Professional Practice; Telemedicine
PubMed: 32762968
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2020.05.002 -
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Topics: COVID-19; Demography; Female; Humans; Male; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Telemedicine
PubMed: 33769092
DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2021.0041 -
Circulation May 2024
Topics: Humans; Digital Technology; Telemedicine
PubMed: 38805579
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.068243