Department of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
J Korean Med Sci. 2021 May 3;36(17):e103. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e103.
Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, consultation and prescription via telemedicine were temporarily allowed in the Korean population. However, at this point, it is difficult to determine whether telemedicine fulfills its role as a health care strategy. Arguably, if we had enough previous experience with telemedicine or sufficient preparation for its application, telemedicine could be more smoothly and flexibly adopted in the medical field. As it is still not possible to predict when the COVID-19 pandemic will end, phone consultation and prescription are likely to continue for some time. Hence, it is expected that telemedicine will naturally settle in the medical field in the near future. However, as we have noticed during this outbreak, improvised telemedicine without adequate guidance can be confusing to both patients and health professionals, thus reducing the benefit to patients. Medical staff requires preparation on how to appropriately use telemedicine. Thus, here we present some suggestions on implementing and preparing for telemedicine in the medical community.
由于 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）爆发，韩国暂时允许通过远程医疗进行咨询和处方。然而，在这一点上，很难确定远程医疗是否能够发挥其作为医疗保健策略的作用。可以说，如果我们有足够的远程医疗经验或充分的准备来应用它，远程医疗在医疗领域就可以更顺利和灵活地采用。由于目前还无法预测 COVID-19 大流行何时结束，电话咨询和处方可能会持续一段时间。因此，预计远程医疗将在不久的将来自然而然地在医疗领域立足。然而，正如我们在此次疫情中所注意到的那样，没有充分指导的即兴远程医疗可能会使患者和卫生专业人员感到困惑，从而降低对患者的益处。医务人员需要准备如何正确使用远程医疗。因此，在这里我们提出了一些在医疗界实施和准备远程医疗的建议。
