Telemedicine framework to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

With more than 92 million infected cases, including about 2 million deaths, globally the novel coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic has shattered the health systems of most nations worldwide. Moreover, many of these systems are unprepared due to a lack of infrastructure and methods in place to guarantee complete health coverage. In view of the high pressure on health systems by the pandemic, reliable medical care is needed. This can be obtained via comprehensive digital techniques, especially in treatment and decision making during a severe pandemic such as COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered all healthcare authorities in one direction to promote the use of digital technologies. Despite some legal and ethical issues, most medical experts argue that telemedicine is a potential source of health care during global epidemics. The implementation of telemedicine systems with the objective of monitoring mild or asymptomatic cases would reduce the high volume of incoming patients. It could limit the cluster of cases and avoid the risk of infection for both patients and health professionals. Telemedicine and telemonitoring solutions can treat patients in an emergency without physical presence at a hospital. With video conferencing, telemedicine systems enable direct communication with patients by smartphone or PC.