ATS Brianza, Limbiate, Monza-Brianza, Italy -
School of Specialization in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.
Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol. 2020 Dec;66(4):328-330. doi: 10.23736/S1121-421X.20.02713-0. Epub 2020 Jun 2.
The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide had evidenced the opportunity to increase the interaction between specialist and primary care physician (PCP). COVID 19, started in December 2019 in China, has been considered a public health emergency by the Department of Health and Human Services and, now, it is a pandemic disease with worldwide diffusion. The COVID-19 crisis permits to increase the role of telemedicine as a tool for the delivery of health care services at distance and to slow down the virus diffusion. This technology is cheap and easy to use but it is limited by governmental licensing restrictions, reimbursement barriers, lesser extent of infrastructure and difficulties related to the change. During COVID-19 epidemy, telemedicine is safe, low cost and-permits to treat urgent and routine specialist cases without human proximity and contact which would spread infection, particularly to the elderly and immunocompromised patients. In COVID-19 era, the goal of PCP is to reduce travels and visits in specialized center for liver disease patients. A strict collaboration between specialized hepatologist and PCP is needed.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）在全球范围内的爆发为专科医生和初级保健医生（PCP）之间的互动提供了机会。COVID-19 于 2019 年 12 月在中国开始，已被卫生与公众服务部视为公共卫生紧急事件，现在已成为一种具有全球传播范围的大流行病。COVID-19 危机允许增加远程医疗的作用，将其作为提供远程医疗服务的工具，并减缓病毒的传播。这项技术便宜且易于使用，但受到政府许可限制、报销障碍、基础设施不完善以及与变革相关的困难的限制。在 COVID-19 流行期间，远程医疗是安全的、低成本的，并且可以在没有人际接触的情况下治疗紧急和常规的专科病例，而人际接触会传播感染，特别是对老年人和免疫功能低下的患者。在 COVID-19 时代，PCP 的目标是减少肝病患者前往专科中心的旅行和就诊。需要专科肝病学家和 PCP 之间的密切合作。
