Possibilities of telemedicine regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in light of the international and Hungarian experiences and recommendations

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak was formally announced as a pandemic by WHO on the 11th of March, 2020. This attracts attention to the possibilities of telemedicine again. In support of stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, whilst keeping the healthcare system running and minimizing the risk of being infected, we also need to find new ways, methods, and platforms to deal with this pandemic. By providing a literature overview and sharing practical guidelines, including the special example of Hungarian teledentistry, we present both international and Hungarian initiatives to involve telemedicine on different levels of healthcare systems regarding COVID-19. Both international and national data show that telemedicine can play a major role in the triage process, early identification, diagnosis and treatment of infected individuals, and management of patient pathways in a way that ensures the medical team does not come into contact with potentially infected patients. It also plays an important role in remote monitoring of medical conditions and care of patients with chronic diseases and reconnects vulnerable groups of healthcare personnel to the care system. In addition to the potential benefits of telemedicine, we must not forget the limitations of this method. However, it is important to emphasize that due to its wide availability, telemedicine services can provide sufficient flexibility for both primary and specialist care (outpatient and inpatient clinical care). For that very reason, it is an urgent need to define the national professional guidelines, legal and financing possibilities in this field in a long-term sustainable way.* Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(24): 983-992. *Disclaimer: We closed the writing of this manuscript on the 30th of April, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and related research studies still have been changing dynamically since then.