The practicality of telemedicine and telehealth during the COVID-19 global
outbreak
#MMPMIDC7543477
Ohannessian R
; Yaghobian S
Eur J Public Health
2020[Sep]; 30
(Suppl 5
): ? PMIDC7543477
show ga
On 30 January 2020, the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International
Concern (PHEIC) for the COVID-19 outbreak. On 7 March 2020, there were more than
100,000 confirmed cases in 88 countries. Telemedicine, otherwise known as
telehealth, has been used at small scale in past outbreaks, including previous
coronavirus outbreaks (SARS; MERS) and other PHEICs (Ebola; Zika). The objective
was to describe the global larger scale use and practicality of telehealth in the
COVID-19 outbreak. The 2015 conceptual framework of telemedicine during an
outbreak for epidemiological assessment and clinical management (Ohannessian R.)
was used to describe the use cases. A multi-country analysis from China, France,
USA and UK was performed with a literature review using official institution
websites, grey literature, media/business reports, as scientific articles were
not yet published. Video and chat consultations were used for symptomatic patient
assessments through private telehealth providers in all countries. In the USA,
the Telehealth Services During Certain Emergency Periods Act of 2020 was voted by
the Congress on 4 March 2020 to suspend restrictive rules of Medicare funding for
telehealth home consultations. Triage via online auto-questionnaires were created
by private providers and public authorities. In the UK, from 26 February to 2
March, 70,000 enquiries were made to a dedicated NHS111 online service. In China,
teleradiology networks were also used for diagnostic of COVID-19 cases. Video
consultation was used in France to monitor home isolated patients and non
COVID-19 patients, to avoid risks of exposure. Telehealth has been useful to the
COVID-19 outbreak but efforts to better describe cases and evaluate impact on the
public health response should be promoted. National and international health
authorities should be aware of the opportunities offered by telehealth during
outbreaks, and may consider its integration in public health emergencies
preparedness plans. KEY MESSAGES: Telehealth was useful for the public health
response to COVID19 outbreak. Telehealth should be integrated into public health
preparedness plans.
free
free
free
