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. [...]a form of telemedicine, Project ECHO, had been initiated in the United States in as early as 2003, to provide tele‐mentoring for clinicians treating chronic Hepatitis C remotely. 4 Project ECHO soon expanded to other fields of Medicine and has been adapted in various parts of the world. The COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in a huge disruption of elective and routine services in all fields of Medicine, including gastroenterology. 5,6 The pandemic impeded the conduct of face‐to‐face consultations and has fast‐tracked the implementation of virtual patient consultation. 7,8 Not only were normal clinical services disrupted, but fear of contracting COVID‐19 at most hospitals by the public had impaired appropriate delivery of care in gastroenterology. 9 A relaxation of rules and regulations by regulatory bodies in the United States during the pandemic additionally hastened the adaptation of telemedicine. 9 Several publications from the United States have now demonstrated the increased acceptance of virtual consultation during the COVID‐19 pandemic, even among less technologically inclined patients. 7 In a study conducted at an academic gastroenterology medical center, two‐thirds of patients who engaged in telemedicine rated the experience as good or even better than face‐to‐face consultation. 4,10 Greater accessibility, convenience, and a reduced travel burden are some factors that have led to an increased acceptability of virtual consultation. 4 In the current issue of JGH Open, Ghoshal et al. have reported the feasibility and acceptability of telemedicine for IBD adult patients during the COVID‐19 pandemic in India (REF).
Telemedicine in routine gastroenterology practice: A boost during the COVID ‐19 pandemic