University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Ann Fam Med. 2021 Jan-Feb;19(1):75-78. doi: 10.1370/afm.2633.
As I begin my 4th year of medical school amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telehealth has allowed me to connect with many patients who previously struggled to access consistent primary care. In this essay, I describe 2 of my most formative experiences with telehealth: participating in my medical school's new "tele-hotspotting" elective, and providing virtual gender-affirming care through our student-run free clinic. These experiences demonstrate not only telehealth's utility during a viral pandemic, but also its potential as a powerful tool for expanding access to care and promoting health equity over the coming years. With this said, telehealth is not without limitations. Patients and clinicians alike have expressed concerns regarding the challenge of performing a physical exam and maintaining emotional connection across physical distance. A sustained expansion of telehealth is further challenged by inconsistent availability of broadband Internet, as well as a lack of standardized reimbursement procedures for telehealth visits. Strategies are available to help meet these challenges while maximizing health equity.
在我开始医学专业四年级的学习之际，恰逢 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行，远程医疗使我能够与许多以前难以获得持续初级保健的患者建立联系。在这篇文章中，我描述了我在远程医疗方面的两个最具启发性的经历：参加我们医学院新的“远程热点”选修课程，以及通过我们学生运营的免费诊所提供虚拟性别肯定护理。这些经历不仅展示了远程医疗在病毒大流行期间的实用性，而且还展示了它作为未来几年扩大医疗服务可及性和促进健康公平的强大工具的潜力。话虽如此，远程医疗并非没有局限性。患者和临床医生都对在身体距离下进行身体检查和保持情感联系的挑战表示担忧。远程医疗的持续扩展进一步受到宽带互联网供应不一致以及远程医疗访问缺乏标准化报销程序的挑战。有策略可以帮助应对这些挑战，同时最大限度地提高健康公平性。
