Orrego Villegas Susana, Adjei Boakye Eric, Arrieta Jafet, Posada España Karine, Vanegas Melisa Naranjo, Prado Pinto Gloria
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Universidad CES, Medellín, Colombia.
Front Public Health. 2025 Aug 1;13:1643085. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1643085. eCollection 2025.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine (TM) in Colombia as a tool for delivering healthcare for both chronic and non-chronic conditions. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of healthcare providers, directors, and managers on TM implementation within a major health plan provider covering 15% of the Colombia population.
Mixed-methods study was conducted, combining surveys and in-depth interviews with medical professionals and decision-makers. Thematic analysis of qualitative data and statistical analysis of survey responses provided insights into the challenges and opportunities of TM during the pandemic.
Healthcare providers recognized TM as a valuable tool but identified key challenges to its optimization. Three main strategies were proposed: (1) enhancing medical training to improve remote diagnosis, (2) integrating wearables and digital technologies to support clinical decision-making, and (3) fostering a culture of TM use among patients and providers to ensure acceptance and sustainability.
Telemedicine facilitated equitable healthcare delivery and contributed to reducing the digital gap in Colombia. However, to ensure long-term viability, national policies must improve internet connectivity and strengthen primary care infrastructure, particularly in underserved regions.
新冠疫情加速了哥伦比亚远程医疗（TM）的应用，使其成为一种为慢性病和非慢性病提供医疗服务的工具。本研究旨在探讨医疗服务提供者、主任和管理人员对一家覆盖哥伦比亚15%人口的主要健康计划提供商实施远程医疗的看法。
开展了混合方法研究，将对医疗专业人员和决策者的调查与深入访谈相结合。对定性数据的主题分析和对调查回复的统计分析揭示了疫情期间远程医疗面临的挑战和机遇。
医疗服务提供者认可远程医疗是一种有价值的工具，但也指出了优化远程医疗的关键挑战。提出了三项主要策略：（1）加强医学培训以改善远程诊断，（2）整合可穿戴设备和数字技术以支持临床决策，（3）在患者和医疗服务提供者中培养使用远程医疗的文化，以确保接受度和可持续性。
远程医疗促进了哥伦比亚公平的医疗服务提供，并有助于缩小数字鸿沟。然而，为确保长期可行性，国家政策必须改善互联网连接并加强初级保健基础设施，特别是在服务不足的地区。
