Comprehending telemedicine: An online survey amidst covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Ab s t r ac t Introduction: In pre-COVID era, telemedicine was not widely accepted for patient care and management. In COVID-19 pandemic, due to strict social distancing and various government guidelines laid down for patient management and care, it has been widely accepted. Methods: We did an online survey from June 20 to July 20, 2020, to find out acceptance and knowledge of telemedicine among clinicians of India for patient care. Results: Earlier only 11% of clinicians were using telemedicine, due to strict social distancing there has been a surge; now 57% of clinicians have accepted it. Analytical data also showed that after this pandemic 69% of clinicians will still continue to use telemedicine. Discussion: With telemedicine we can easily solve complaints of patients in outdoor department and quarantine center, as well as provide psychological counseling of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.