Ethical aspects of telemedicine in the face of Covid-19 pandemic
Main Article Content
Abstract
The article raises peculiar clinical-epidemiological conditions when humanity faces an emerging zoonosis. The example that has rudely struck humanity is the Covid-19 pandemic, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Although the history of humanity accounts for multiple pandemics caused by various infectious agents, it is true that uncertainty prevails when faced with a global problem of this nature. Before it, there is a moral obligation to provide the best possible health services; at the same time, research should be carried out to find specific pharmaceutical measures that contain and mitigate the damage to the population (specific drugs and/or vaccines). Meanwhile, knowing that in the case of the current Covid-19 pandemic the main and most efficient route of transmission is the spread by droplets of saliva, physical distancing is crucial. A medical consultation involves speaking during the questioning and physical proximity during the examination. There is data that indicates that telemedicine has a high degree of recommendation for the protection of the health of both professionals and patients. It is recalled that a statement from the World Medical Association has addressed the issue of telemedicine; with its presentation, scope, limitations and future projections are indicated.
Downloads
PLUMX Metrics
Article Details
Medicina y Ética is distributed under a Creative Commons License Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional.
The author keeps the property rights with no restriction whatsoever and guarantees the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work. The author is free to deposit the published version in any other medium, such as an institutional archive or on his own website.
References
Spyrou MA, Andrades Valtueña A, Huson D, Tuross N, Bos KI, Krause J. Salmonella
enterica genomes from victims of a major sixteenth-century epidemic in Mexico.
Nat Ecol Evol. 2018; 2(3): 520-528. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0446-6.
2. Koh D. Occupational risks for Covid-19 infection. Occup Med (Lond). 2020; 70(1):
3-5. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa036.
3. Wang J, Zhou M, Liu F. Reasons for healthcare workers becoming infected with
novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in China. J Hosp Infect. 2020; 105(1):
100-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2020.03.002.
4. Chen W, Huang Y. To protect healthcare workers better, to save more lives.
Anesth Analg. 2020; 131(1): 97-101. https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.000000000000
4834.
5. Rockwell KL, Gilroy AS. Incorporating telemedicine as part of Covid-19 outbreak
response systems. Am J Manag Care. 2020; 26(4): 147-148. https://doi.org/
10.37765/ajmc.2020.42784.
6. Moazzami B, Razavi-Khorasani N, Dooghaie Moghadam A, Farokhi E, Rezaei
N. Covid-19 and telemedicine: Immediate action required for maintaining healthcare
providers well-being. J Clin Virol. 2020; 126: 104345. https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.jcv.2020.104345.
7. Hollander JE, Carr BG. Virtually perfect? Telemedicine for Covid-19. N Engl J
Med. 2020; 382(18): 1679-1681. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2003539.
8. Greenhalgh T, Wherton J, Shaw S, Morrison C. Video consultations for Covid-
19. BMJ. 2020 Mar 12; 368: m998. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m998.
9. Rismiller K, Cartron AM, Trinidad JCL. Inpatient teledermatology during the Covid-
19 pandemic. J Dermatolog Treat. 2020; 31(5): 441-443.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09546634.2020.1762843
10. Sousa A, Karia S. Telepsychiatry during Covid-19: Some clinical, public health,
and ethical dilemmas. Indian J Public Health. 2020; 64(Supplement): S245-S246.
https://doi.org/10.4103/ijph.IJPH_511_20
11. Olwill C, Mc Nally D, Douglas L. Psychiatrist experience of remote consultations
by telephone in an outpatient psychiatric department during the Covid-19
pandemic. Ir J Psychol Med. 2020 May 22; 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2020.51
12. Basu S. Non-communicable disease management in vulnerable patients during
Covid-19. Indian J Med Ethics. 2020; V(2): 103-105.
https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2020.041
13. Fagherazzi G, Goetzinger C, Rashid MA, Aguayo GA, Huiart L. Digital health
strategies to fight Covid-19 worldwide: Challenges, recommendations, and a call
for papers. J Med Internet Res. 2020 Jun 16; 22(6): e19284.
https://doi.org/10.2196/19284
14. Vokinger KN, Nittas V, Witt CM, Fabrikant SI, von Wyl V. Digital health and the
Covid-19 epidemic: An assessment framework for apps from an epidemiological
and legal perspective. Swiss Med Wkly. 2020 May 17; 150: w20282.
https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2020.20282.
15. Garrett JR, McNolty LA, Wolfe ID, Lantos JD. Our next pandemic ethics challenge?
Allocating «normal» health care services. Hastings Cent Rep. 2020; 50(3):
79-80. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.1145. PMID: 32596905.
16. WHO (World Health Organization). Telemedicine. Opportunities and developments
in member states. Report on the second global survey on eHealth. Global
Observatory for eHealth series. Volume 2. [Consultado el 10 de octubre de 2020].
Recuperado en: http://www.who.int/goe/publications/goe_telemedicine_2010.pdf
https://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2012.18.2.153
17. OPS (Organización Panamericana de la Salud). Telesalud. [Consultado el 10
de octubre de 2020]. Recuperado en: https://www.paho.org/ict4health/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=9684:telehealth&Itemid=193&lang=es
18. Coordinación Nacional Médica del INSABI. Entrenamiento continuo sobre manejo
clínico para profesionales de la salud. [Consultado el 10 de octubre de
2020]. Recuperado en: https://coviduti.salud.gob.mx/registro/ https://doi.org/
10.29193/rmu.36.2.2
19. Dos Santos AF, Fernández A, (Eds.). Desarrollo de la telesalud en América
Latina. Aspectos conceptuales y estado actual. Santiago de Chile: Comisión Económica
para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL); 2013. [Consultado el 10 de octubre
de 2020]. Recuperado en: http://www.saludzac.gob.mx/home/docs/Telesalud/
TelesaludMexico/Desarrollo.pdf https://doi.org/10.20983/reij.2018.2.6
20. González Rétiz ML, Pacheco López A. Desarrollo de la telesalud en México.
Santiago de Chile: Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL);
2013. [Consultado el 10 de octubre de 2020]. Recuperado en: https://
repositorio.ce pal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/4055/1/S2012935_es.pdf
https://doi.org/10.20983/reij.2018.2.6
21. Secretaría de Salud, CENETEC-Salud. Cédula de Instrumentos Jurídicos aplicables
a la práctica de la telesalud en México. 2ª ed. México: Secretaría de Salud,
Centro Nacional de Excelencia Tecnológica en Salud; 2019. [Consultado el 10 de
octubre de 2020]. Recuperado en: https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/
file/534418/CedulaInstrumentosJuridicosTelesalud_feb2020.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0036-36342000000300012
22. Dabaghi Richerand A, Chávarri A, Torres Gómez A. Telemedicina en México.
An Med (Mex). 2012; 57(4): 353-357.
23. Mariscal Avilés J, Gil García JR, Ramírez Hernández F. e-Salud en México:
antecedentes, objetivos, logros y retos. Espacios Públicos. 2012; 15(34): 65-94.
24. Hodkinson B, Singh P, Gcelu A, Molano WB, Pons Estel G, Alpízar Rodríguez
D. Navigating Covid-19 in the developing world. Clin Rheumatol. 2020; 39(7):
2039-2042. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-020-05159-4.
25. El gobierno de la CdMx se preocupa por tu salud. [Consultado el 10 de octubre
de 2020]. Recuperado en: https://test.covid19.cdmx.gob.mx
26. Declaración de la Asociación Médica Mundial sobre la ética de la telemedicina.
[Consultado el 10 de octubre de 2020]. Recuperado en: https://www.wma.net/
es/policies-post/declaracion-de-la-amm-sobre-la-etica-de-la-telemedicina/
https://doi.org/10.3989/isegoria.1994.i10.269
27. Humbyrd CJ. Virtue ethics in a value-driven world: Ethical telemedicine. Clin
Orthop Relat Res. 2019; 477(12): 2639-2641.
https://doi.org/10.1097/CORR.0000000000000908