COVID-19 is causing an unprecedented stress on health systems and healthcare delivery. Health systems and services are being reconfigured to maintain patient continuity. Telemedicine has provided an enabling tool to maintain patient continuity and management of patients during COVID-19. It has allowed limiting exposure to virus among patients, healthcare workers and systems which is critical in controlling the spread and transmission. COVID-19 has arguably accelerated the adoption of telemedicine. However, barriers, such as infrastructure and technology specific to telemedicine in remote settings, language barriers, regulatory and other issues exist that warrants comprehensive assessment. Despite technological advances in telemedicine and urgency in its uptake during COVID-19, language and socioeconomic barriers relevant to vulnerable communities pose ongoing challenge.

In this Research Topic we, therefore, aim to investigate the consequences and changes in telemedicine caused by and following the pandemic. This includes not only the status of telemedicine in developed countries, but also discussions around its adoption across the geographical divide, sub-speciality specific gaps, and future areas of research, development and application in clinical trials, among others. This will also include a special focus on the role of telemedicine during COVID-19 in the respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular and psychiatric care. The current pandemic affects diagnostic workup, medical treatment and surgical procedures, as well as chronic management of diseases. Telemedicine is critical for pandemic preparedness and action during and beyond COVID-19. In volume II of this Research Topic, we would like to explore the impact on telemedicine that has occurred in the latter stages of the pandemic.

We particularly welcome contributions that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

This Research Topic specifically welcomes articles that will help the scientific and medical community reach conclusions on, but not limited to:  

1. Role of telemedicine during pandemics;

2. Adaptation of telemedicine in acute management protocols;

3. Adaptation of telemedicine in chronic management protocols;

4. Telemedicine in reorganisation of healthcare services;

5. Policy and public health perspectives on telemedicine;

6. Telemedicine in public health and infectious diseases;

7. Telemedicine in mental health;

8. Telemedicine in primary care;

9. Telemedicine in occupational health and safety;

10. Telemedicine in natural disasters and pandemics;

11. Telemedicine in rehabilitation;

12. Telemedicine in palliative care;

13. Telemedicine in elderly care;

14. Telehealth/Telemedicine for congregate settings;

15. Telemedicine in conflict areas or wars;

16. Cost benefit/economic analysis of telemedicine and reimbursement of all telehealth providers;

17. Barriers to telemedicine uptake/implementation;

18. Telemedicine in building resilient health systems;

19. Broader implications of telemedicine on society;

20. Role of artificial intelligence in telemedicine;

21. Ethical issues in telemedicine;

22. Legal and regulatory issues in telemedicine.

Submissions are welcome for the original research, as well as:

• Important case report and case series, to share experiences of treating patients using telemedicine during COVID-19;

• Perspective/panorama;

• Methodology description of registry/clinical trial protocol;

• Policy/Position/Guidelines/Consortium Statement;

• Methodology description of registry/clinical trial protocol;

• Narrative and Comprehensive review;

• Systematic reviews;

• Opinion, perspectives and hypothesis.

Volume I: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/14358/telemedicine-during-and-beyond-covid-19

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