Changes in the way that healthcare is delivered during this pandemic are needed to reduce staff exposure to ill persons, preserve personal protective equipment (PPE), and minimize the impact of patient surges on facilities. Healthcare systems have had to adjust the way they triage, evaluate, and care for patients using methods that do not rely on in-person services. Telehealth services help provide necessary care to patients while minimizing the transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to healthcare personnel (HCP) and patients.

While telehealth technology and its use are not new, widespread adoption among HCP and patients beyond simple telephone correspondence has been relatively slow.1,2 Before the COVID-19 pandemic, trends show some increased interest in use of telehealth services by both HCP and patients.3,4,5 However, recent policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic have reduced barriers to telehealth access and have promoted the use of telehealth as a way to deliver acute, chronic, primary and specialty care.6 Many professional medical societies endorse telehealth services and provide guidance for medical practice in this evolving landscape.7,8,9 Telehealth can also improve patient health outcomes.10

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/telehealth.html#edn10

Content source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Viral Diseases