Using Telemedicine In Pediatric, Family Medicine During COVID-19

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak continues to wreak havoc in all corners of the world, most available research indicates the severity of the disease increases with age and risk among children seems minimal.

In spite of this, there is still an understandable concern among parents in regard to the risk of children contracting the disease among parents and caregivers during the ongoing outbreak.

Through a combination of accessibility through telemedicine and increased dissemination of information related to COVID-19, pediatricians and primary care providers have been able to dispel a fair amount of unwarranted fear.

Across many parts of the US, face-to-face visits have become a thing of the past in an effort to slow the spread—forever altering what was once a slow advent of telemedicine into daily practice. The embrace has been so swift and thorough, many believe it will undoubtedly impact practices long after the current outbreak. Still, failure to properly use telemedicine and communicate with patients and the public can often compound and worsen anxiety surrounding COVID-19 in an uncertain time.

For more on this topic, HCPLive® caught up with Sonja Rasmussen, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine, and Lindsay Thompson, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Authors of a recent editorial in JAMA Pediatrics, the pair spent part of the House Call interview addressing the rapid expansion and use of telemedicine in daily practice, proper messaging to patients and parents, and the long-term impact of COVID-19 on pediatric care.

To hear more from Thompson and Rasmussen, check out the video below.