Letters | As coronavirus patient numbers rise, telemedicine by primary care doctors can help relieve hospital workloads
- South Korea’s decision to turn to telemedicine has allowed primary care doctors to serve Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms, providing a boost to the health system
We face a disaster on a scale not seen since World War II, and health care policies in each country are being put to the test because of Covid-19.
In such a disaster, large medical centres play a key role. However, behind the scenes of an all-out war, small-scale responses, such as the personal care provided by regional clinics, are also critical.
In South Korea, when a coronavirus patient visits the clinic, it is immediately shut down for disinfecting, and doctors, nurses and other employees have to quarantine themselves for 14 days after undergoing examinations. Given this reality, which doctor would dare to do coronavirus patient care?
As a result, patients with chronic illnesses, such as hypertension – who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 and told to self-quarantine – would not be able to get the prescription they need.
In response, the Korean government has temporarily relaxed the restriction on telemedicine consultations. The move has been long overdue.
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Doctors of Korean medicine in Daegu and Seoul have established a telemedicine centre and started free medical treatment for self-quarantined Covid-19 patients with minor symptoms. It is based on self-reported information of vital signs, questionnaires, videos on smartphone, and other procedures. The telemedicine centre, which opened on March 9, treated almost 1,500 people in a month, about 14 per cent of all Covid-19 patients in Korea.
Further, there were a few cases where patients whose condition was found to be worsening during counselling were helped with getting admitted to emergency care.
Telemedicine allows primary care doctors to play a more active role in the fight to contain Covid-19, at a time when the number of patients is rapidly increasing, the great majority of whom are mild cases. This is being overlooked in the mainstream system.
The World Health Organisation and national health officials should hurry to develop and prepare telemedicine manuals. In any country, an explosive increase in the number of patients will overload the hospitals. The current large-scale war strategy is not enough, and we must tap the power of primary care doctors.
Most countries are unprepared. If things get worse, it will be too late.
I believe telemedicine is a good alternative model of primary care for Covid-19 infections.
Dr Insoo Jang, dean, College of Korean Medicine, Woosuk University, Jeonju, South Korea; chair, Guidance Development Committee on the Korean Medicine Treatment for Covid-19; advisory board member, Telemedicine Centre of Korean Medicine for Covid-19
