Remote Clinical Decision Making

The COVID pandemic fueled explosive growth of the telehealth industry. Overnight, telehealth was transformed into essential and permanent clinical service. However, technological growth has outpaced clinical safety and professional values. Growth alone in a new subspecialty does not guarantee safety. 

This emerging subspecialty — still evolving — is experiencing an identity crisis — starting with telehealth terminology that is confusing. A quick internet search produces websites variously focused on telemedicine, telephone triage, telehealth, nurse triage, phone triage, advice nurse, telenurse, virtual visits and televisits. The commingled terminology describes an array of remote technology used in clinical encounters between patients, clinicians and non-clinical staff.