School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021 Aug;165(2):239-243. doi: 10.1177/0194599820983330. Epub 2021 Jan 5.
The meteoric rise of telemedicine early in the COVID-19 pandemic might easily be mistaken for an ephemeral trend-one reaching its zenith in a moment of crisis. To the contrary, momentum has been mounting for telehealth over decades. The recent increase in telecare reveals its potential to deliver efficient, patient-centered, high-quality care in an increasingly technology-dependent landscape. Prior to COVID-19, surgeons lagged behind medical counterparts in embracing telemedicine; however, the pragmatic imperatives for remote care of patients and changes to Medicare removed key barriers to adoption. Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery has innovated across subspecialties, leading in COVID-19 scholarship and year-over-year publications on telemedicine. Yet, improved access to subspecialists is tempered by a digital divide that threatens to exacerbate disparities. Otolaryngology is poised to lead the transformation of procedural specialties while ensuring equitable care.
远程医疗在 COVID-19 大流行初期的迅速崛起，很容易让人误以为这只是一种短暂的趋势——一种在危机时刻达到顶峰的趋势。相反，远程医疗的势头已经持续了几十年。最近远程护理的增加显示了它在日益依赖技术的环境中提供高效、以患者为中心、高质量护理的潜力。在 COVID-19 之前，外科医生在接受远程医疗方面落后于医学同行；然而，远程护理患者的实际需要以及医疗保险的变化消除了采用远程医疗的关键障碍。耳鼻喉科-头颈外科在各个亚专业领域都进行了创新，在 COVID-19 研究和远程医疗的年度出版物方面处于领先地位。然而，数字鸿沟威胁着加剧差距，这使得获得专科医生的机会受到了限制。耳鼻喉科有望在确保公平护理的同时引领程序专业的转型。
