Managing patients using telerheumatology: Lessons from a pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented unique challenges to rheumatology provision. Measures to control the pandemic have limited face-to-face contact with rheumatology healthcare professionals. One innovation has been the widespread adoption of telerheumatology to assist in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Best practice & research. Clinical rheumatology 2021-03, Vol.35 (1), p.101662-101662, Article 101662
Main Authors: Bateman, James, Cleaton, Natasha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
COVID-19
Diagnosis
Health services accessibility
Humans
Pandemics
Remote consultation/methods
Rheumatic diseases/diagnosis
Rheumatic diseases/therapy
Rheumatology
SARS-CoV-2
Telehealth
Telemedicine
Telerheumatology
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Summary:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented unique challenges to rheumatology provision. Measures to control the pandemic have limited face-to-face contact with rheumatology healthcare professionals. One innovation has been the widespread adoption of telerheumatology to assist in the care of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, building on an existing evidence base in rheumatology. Widespread adoption has only occurred following the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the evidence supporting telerheumatology adoption prior to the pandemic, and outline several innovative approaches used to assist in the care of rheumatology patients that have been introduced. Alongside the advantages of these interventions, we discuss the limitations and regulatory challenges. Advances must be balanced, considering wider issues of equity of access, implementation, adoption, and sustainability of telerheumatology post-pandemic. We propose it is not ‘if’, but ‘how’ rheumatologists embrace newer telerheumatology technology, outlining practice points and future research agenda.
ISSN:1521-6942
1532-1770
DOI:10.1016/j.berh.2021.101662