Covid-19 and the ‘new normal’: are remote video consultations here to stay?

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionDuring the UK Covid-19 lockdown, video consultations (telemedicine) were encouraged. The extent of usage, and to which concerns to earlier implementation were set aside, is unknown; this is worthy of exploration as data becomes available.Sources of dataSources of data are as follows: published case studies, editorials, news articles and government guidance.Areas of agreementVideo can be clinically effective, especially where patients cannot attend due to illness or infection risk. Patients are positive, and they can benefit from savings in time and money. Adoption of telemedicine is hindered by a range of known barriers including clinician resistance due to technological problems, disrupted routines, increased workload, decreased work satisfaction and organizational readiness.Areas of controversyDespite policy impetus and successful pilots, telemedicine has not been adopted at scale.Growing pointsIncreased use of telemedicine during the Covid-19 crisis presents opportunities to obtain robust evidence of issues and create service transformation effectively.Areas timely for developing researchExamination of telemedicine use during the Covid-19 crisis to ensure that the benefits and usage continue into the post-lockdown, ‘new normal’ world.