Telemedicine in hematology; long-term implications of a short-term experience during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Telemedicine is healing at a distance, and it was under-utilized ever since its reintroduction till this COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has moved the field of telemedicine and almost every health specialty has embraced it to provide remote, timely, safe health-care services to their patients from the comfort of their home and prevent undesired exposure to COVID-19 infection. With the reach of smart phones and cheaper internet data, this has reached tier II/III cities and is also making inroads in the rural areas. Telemedicine in hematology is becoming increasingly popular because many of the hematology patients are immunocompromised and are more prone to various infections including COVID-19. It is very beneficial in follow-up visits for benign disorders such as anemia, immune thrombocytopenia as well as certain chronic leukemias such as Myeloproliferative neoplasms and for the patients on oral therapy. Astronaut getting treated on NASA mission from the earth is ultimate telemedicine. COVID-19 pandemic has reinvented telemedicine which is helping not only patients in getting medical advice but also physicians and medical students in attending medical conferences and keep them up to date with advances in their field. After this pandemic end, telemedicine is here to stay along with the age-old personal visit like a hand in gloves.