COVID-19 Pandemic as a Driver for Spreading Virtual Care Globally: The Future Starts Now

摘要

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, healthcare systems are crashing worldwide. Public health authorities are focusing their decision-making processes toward best allocation of resources and personnel for the development of vaccines, establishment of effective treatments, management of affected patients, and protection of citizens and the workforce from human-to-human infection (1). Further, the healthcare workforce should act in alignment with the quickly evolving evidence (2). In this unparalleled healthcare scenario, a pertinent question has arisen: How do clinicians provide the best care for patients with diseases other than COVID-19-related diseases (3)? The Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine has authorized teleconsultation during the ongoing pandemic (4). I believe that timely implementation of virtual consultations can not only promote care provision for these patients in private and public healthcare sectors but also help generate a database that can transform healthcare systems.