Telemedicine in routine gastroenterology practice: A boost during the COVID‐19 pandemic

摘要

Telehealth has been defined by the American Telemedicine Association as technology‐enabled healthcare management and delivery systems that enable capacity and access.1 Both “telemedicine” and “telehealth” are terms that have been used interchangeably in practice, but there are differences between them.2, 3 Telehealth refers to a technology facilitated healthcare service, through the exchange of medical information from one information source to another. An example of this would be virtual check‐in systems or remote monitoring of the health condition of individuals. In contrast, telemedicine utilizes audio and visual communication between healthcare professionals and patients in real time. An example of telemedicine would be tele/electronic virtual consultations, whereby healthcare professionals and patients communicate without a face‐to‐face meeting.