Telemedicine

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine released an update highlighting the benefits of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.

Telemedicine visits for gender-affirming care in minors rapidly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and may be able to expand access to care in the future, according to data from two studies published in Transgender Health.

Synchronous audiovisual telemedicine of eye care services was well received by patients and physicians during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a speaker at the virtual Wills Eye Conference.

Although COVID-19 triggered widespread disruption in medical care across all specialties, ophthalmologists had to overcome unique challenges. In an interview with Healio, Rishi P. Singh, MD, discussed problems posed early in the pandemic, the benefits of telemedicine, caring for vulnerable populations in the COVID-19 era and the need for more advanced technology moving forward.

Clinical trials have clearly laid out treatment protocols, usually with monthly treatment intervals, and the subjects tend to be compliant and motivated for the study visits. In the real world, life gets in the way.

Older, Asian and non-English-speaking patients were less likely to use telemedicine during the early days of the pandemic, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

Although clinical visits and refills among patients already receiving opioid use disorder medication did not decrease during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer people initiated new treatment, according to research published in JAMA Network Open.

A HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based telehealth solution that allows physicians to perform their hospital rounds virtually is now available, the digital health platform Zyter announced.

In this special episode, I sit down with this week’s co-host, my wife Yasmin P. Mali, MD, to discuss my top 5 predictions in ophthalmology in the new year. Stay tuned for a special announcement at the end of the show.

Artificial intelligence-based telemedicine platform may allow for large-scale screening of patients with age-related macular degeneration while lowering the cost of care, according to a poster at AAO Annual Meeting.