The practice of medicine poses constant challenges, both in terms of scientific knowledge and clinical reasoning, in the relationship with patients and society and in constant technological transformation. The balance of all these factors supposes a need for continuous adaptation that, in recent years, has accelerated. The relationship between the medical professional and the patient is based on trust and confidentiality. Anamnesis and physical examination represent the basis for good medical practice, from which clinical suspicions are formulated and the remainder of the appointment and the relationship with the patient are planned. The framework of the relationship between patients, professionals and the healthcare system in general is very diverse and the objectives of this interaction (medical act) are also different at Telemedicine every moment of the care process.
Introduction
Until a few years ago, there were not many ways to address this diversity, but the technological leap of the last decades has allowed the introduction of communication channels that enrich the options and instruments in the doctor–patient relationship.
has been useful and widely accepted by professionals and patients during the COVID-19 crisis
The birth of telemedicine is generally associated with the expansion of information and communications technologies (ICT). Despite this, its Telemedicine has been useful and widely accepted by professionals and patients during the COVID-19 crisis origins can be traced back to the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1875. In fact, The Lancet published, in 1879, an article that outlined the appropriateness of using the telephone to reduce unnecessary house calls and, that same year, an anonymous doctor used it to listen to a cough and reassure a mother mistakenly convinced that her son had whooping cough.
Telemedicine had already become a useful tool in healthcare practice in the era before COVID-19, although change management, regulatory demands and technological needs meant that its implementation was advancing slowly. The health crisis caused by COVID-19 has led to the increased use of ICT in the healthcare field, in this case to avoid crowds in the waiting rooms of healthcare centres and infections of vulnerable patients. Telemedicine has proven to be a good instrument and a mechanism that has allowed the follow-up of patients and care processes and, at the same time, has been sufficiently accepted by healthcare professionals, healthcare organizations and patients. A study on the impact of COVID-19 on the health of doctors revealed that, while before the pandemic only 8% of doctors stated that they provided a significant or high amount of care online, during the months of March, April and May of 2020 (the first wave of the pandemic) this figure was 65%. During the months of July and August, 51% were still providing a significant or high amount of remote healthcare, 34% believed this type of care would increase and 41% that it would be maintained at this level. Likewise, various studies have demonstrated patient satisfaction with teleconsultation tools, highlighting that they facilitate communication. They have the perception that they have been actively heard, that they have been able to express their uncertainties and that they have been allowed
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