The opportunities and challenges of telemedicine during COVID-19 pandemic

At the end of 2019, patients with pneumonia of unknown etiology appeared in the city of Wuhan (China). After a short time, this infection affected not only the people of China but also the whole world. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the disease a pandemic. A viral agent was identified - severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the disease itself was named "2019 novel coronavirus infection" (COVID-19). Telemedicine technologies are a form of medical care and training that can counteract the spread of a COVID-19 epidemic by eliminating direct contact of both medical workers with patients and medical workers and patients with each other. Lack of personal protective equipment, the suspension of clinical clerkship and supervision, and a reduction in the number of elective surgical cases inevitably affect medical and surgical education. Interesting solutions using virtual learning, video conferencing, social media, and telemedicine could effectively address the sudden discontinuation of medical education. In fact, it is currently the ideal combination of teleworking and study. Telemedicine can play an important role in this pandemic by minimizing the spread of the virus, leveraging healthcare providers' time, and alleviating the challenges of medical education. The aim of this study was to identify the role of telemedicine services in the management and controlling of diseases as well as on medical education during the COVID-19 outbreak.