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The dramatic growth of telemedicine during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a significant impact on the physician-patient relationship.
In March, when the pandemic took hold in the United States, telehealth visits increased 50%, according to Frost and Sullivan. With in-person medical visits associated with the risk of coronavirus infection, virtual visits emerged as a safe and effective way for patients to meet with their doctors in many circumstances.
“Whether telemedicine is a good or bad thing for the physician-patient relationship is largely dependent on the individual level of comfort of the patient and their physician,” says Joy L. Lee, PhD, a research scientist at Regenstrief Institute and an assistant professor at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.