Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Paris, France.
Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2021 Jan;17(1):11-15. doi: 10.1038/s41584-020-00527-5. Epub 2020 Nov 2.
The emergence of COVID-19 in early 2020 led to unprecedented changes to rheumatology clinical practice worldwide, including the closure of research laboratories, the restructuring of hospitals and the rapid transition to virtual care. As governments sought to slow and contain the spread of the disease, rheumatologists were presented with the difficult task of managing risks, to their patients as well as to themselves, while learning and implementing new systems for remote health care. Consequently, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a transformation in health infrastructures and telemedicine that could become powerful tools for rheumatologists, despite having some limitations. In this Viewpoint, five experts from different regions discuss their experiences of the pandemic, including the most challenging aspects of this unexpected transition, the advantages and limitations of virtual visits, and potential opportunities going forward.
2020 年初，COVID-19 的出现导致全球范围内风湿病学临床实践发生了前所未有的变化，包括研究实验室关闭、医院结构重组以及迅速向虚拟护理的转变。随着各国政府寻求减缓和控制疾病的传播，风湿病学家面临着管理风险的艰巨任务，既要管理患者的风险，也要管理自身的风险，同时还要学习和实施远程医疗的新系统。因此，COVID-19 大流行导致卫生基础设施和远程医疗发生了转变，这可能成为风湿病学家的有力工具，尽管它们存在一些局限性。在本观点文章中，来自不同地区的五位专家讨论了他们在大流行期间的经验，包括这一意外转变最具挑战性的方面、虚拟就诊的优势和局限性，以及未来的潜在机会。
