Telemedicine solutions in cardiology: a joint expert opinion by the Information Technology and Telemedicine Committee of the Polish Cardiac Society, the Section of Noninvasive Electrocardiology and Telemedicine of the Polish Cardiac Society, and the Clinical Research Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences (short version, 2021)
Ryszard Piotrowicz, Paweł Krzesiński, Paweł Balsam, Ewa Piotrowicz, Maciej Kempa, Ewa Lewicka, Renata Główczyńska, Marcin Grabowski, Łukasz Kołtowski, Michał Peller, Bartosz Szafran, Justyna Zajdel‐Całkowska, Jan Pachocki, Jakub Podolec, Adam Stańczyk, Grzegorz Opolski
Abstract
Telemedicine involves diagnostic, therapeutic and educational services being offered remotely by healthcare professionals to exchange crucial clinical information. It is a rapidly developing form of medical activity and part of medical industry, with advanced technologies already available in Poland. Cardiology is one of the fields in which telemedicine methods were pioneered and introduced into everyday practice. Some of these methods have already become standard procedures for diagnosis and treatment in some Polish centers, with other soon to follow. Clinical study results not only demonstrate reliability and usefulness of telemedicine technologies but also show that their use in clinical practice improves the patients' prognoses and quality of life. Moreover, study results in highly developed countries show a potential cost-effectiveness of telemedicine from the perspective of healthcare systems. There is an unquestionable need to establish clear rules for telemedicine use in Poland, which would ensure their high quality and adequate clinical application. This paper is a summary of the current status of telemedicine solutions used in cardiology, with a particular focus on the Polish healthcare system, and presents both the commonly available solutions and those that are expected to develop rapidly in the near future.