https://doi.org/10.4081/hls.2022.9928
COVID-19 pandemic and quick evolution of telemedicine: A gap analysis
Submitted: 21 June 2021
Accepted: 22 February 2022
Published: 17 March 2022
Accepted: 22 February 2022
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Telemedicine though not a newer concept to healthcare community, it is relatively a new acquaintance to both healthcare providers and the general public. Since 11th of March 2020, the day when WHO declared COVID-19 infection as pandemic, the telemedicine services had achieved quick popularity. In fact this pandemic boosted a solid foundation for telemedicine and now it is one among the scope of services offered by any reputed healthcare organization globally. This article aims to emphasize how a symbiosis between telemedicine, POCT and mobile health units can help to deliver a high quality healthcare eliminating the risk of infection spread to both patients and health care providers. The methodology adopted includes collective viewpoints of authors which are based upon working experience gained during the current pandemic and literature review of recent and relevant articles related to process and pitfalls of telemedicine. Literature search was conducted by searching using key words and phrases like ‘Telemedicine’, ‘COVID-19 and Telemedicine’ and ‘Non- Communicable Diseases management during pandemic’. The scope and gaps observed by literature survey and personal experience included infrastructure, awareness and training of both health care providers and patient population, utilization of POCT devices, internet connectivity, need for an nationwide unified Health Information Management System (HIMS) to aid easy access to patient health information and easy referrals to higher centers. In summary telemedicine is an absolute necessity during this on-going pandemic and its enhancement by integration with artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms is a real need of hour.
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How to Cite
Jayamani, J. ., Thangaraju, P. ., gowda , R. ., & Huchegowda, S. (2022). COVID-19 pandemic and quick evolution of telemedicine: A gap analysis. Healthcare in Low-Resource Settings, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/hls.2022.9928