Telemedicine: a new normal in COVID era; perspective from a developing nation
Nipun Malhotra, Pirabu Sakthivel, Nitesh Gupta, Neeraj Nischal, Pranav Ish
Abstract
The two most significant innovations, namely computing technology and the internet, have revolutionised every sphere of life. Pocket-sized smart devices of today can perform a lot more and a lot faster than much larger devices of 30–40 years ago. Using one such smart device, products and services can be ordered to arrive at the doorstep, even in the remotest areas. Telehealth (TH) is a broad term that encompasses all components and activities of healthcare and the healthcare system, which are conducted through telecommunications technology. Telemedicine (TM) is a component of TH and is defined by Oxford’s as ‘the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology’.1 TM focuses on overcoming the barrier of distance separating the participants, making it ideal for COVID consultations. Interestingly, the world’s first telephone call, made by Alexander Graham Bell on 10 March 1876, was effectively a request for medical help. TM provides remote electronic consultations (ECs) to patients, assessment of records and reports, and prescription of treatment. Direct-to-consumer or on-demand TM, a rarely used approach in the before-corona era, is now rapidly gaining acceptance from patients and practitioners alike. Because of its resonance with the concept of physical distancing, TM is quickly becoming the ‘new normal’, and will likely remain so even in the post-pandemic period. In a recent correspondence to this journal, Iyengar and colleagues elucidated the applications of TM in orthopaedic care and its suitability during the COVID-19 pandemic.2 Adding to their perspectives, we present some reasons why TM could be an impeccable fit for the present pandemic, especially in a developing country with a large and diverse population; a majority of which resides …