Telemedicine with special focus on allergic diseases and asthma—Status 2022: An EAACI position paper

Sylwia Smolinska*, Florin Dan Popescu, Elena Izquierdo, Darío Antolín-Amérigo, Oliver J. Price, Alberto Alvarez-Perea, Ibon Eguíluz Gracia, Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, Oliver Pfaar, Filippo Fassio, Karin Hoffmann-Sommergruber, Stephanie Dramburg, Ioana Agache, Marek Jutel, Helen A. Brough, João A. Fonseca, Elizabeth Angier, Cristina Boccabella, Matteo Bonini, Audrey Dunn GalvinPeter G. Gibson, Radoslaw Gawlik, Farah Hannachi, Ömer Kalayci, Ludger Klimek, Rebecca Knibb, Paolo Matricardi, Tomás Chivato

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Efficacious, effective and efficient communication between healthcare professionals (HCP) and patients is essential to achieve a successful therapeutic alliance. Telemedicine (TM) has been used for decades but during the COVID-19 pandemic its use has become widespread. This position paper aims to describe the terminology and most important forms of TM among HCP and patients and review the existing studies on the uses of TM for asthma and allergy. Besides, the advantages and risks of TM are discussed, concluding that TM application reduces costs and time for both, HCP and patients, but cannot completely replace face-to-face visits for physical examinations and certain tests that are critical in asthma and allergy. From an ethical point of view, it is important to identify those involved in the TM process, ensure confidentiality and use communication channels that fully guarantee the security of the information. Unmet needs and directions for the future regarding implementation, data protection, privacy regulations, methodology and efficacy are described.

Original languageEnglish
JournalAllergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Early online date1 Dec 2023
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 1 Dec 2023

Keywords

  • e-health
  • m-health
  • telecare
  • telehealth
  • telemedicine

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