The Current and Future Use of Telemedicine in Infectious Diseases Practice

Novel technologies, such as high-definition cameras, encryption software, electronic stethoscopes, microfluidic diagnostic systems, and widely available broadband Internet have expanded the potential for telemedicine. This narrative review presents current and future uses of telemedicine in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, stewardship, and management of infectious disease.

Beginning in the 1990s, early approaches to telemedicine in infectious disease focused largely on treatment of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and tuberculosis. However, recent innovations allow for targeting of additional diseases and in increasingly remote settings. Telemedicine allows virtual visits between patients in the home and remote providers, permitting outpatient management of complex conditions, such as post-surgical site monitoring, and non-urgent infectious maladies, such as uncomplicated urinary tract infection. Remote provider education by videoconference and integrated clinical decision support tools create avenues to improve inpatient care, including antimicrobial stewardship. Technological strides from miniaturization of diagnostic tests to robotic telepresence physical exams improve access to infectious disease care in isolated and infrastructure-poor environments, from cargo ships to other resource-limited settings. Telemedicine in the field of infectious disease is rapidly expanding in clinical, technological, geographical, and human capacity. Recent innovations narrow gaps in access to care for populations traditionally underserved, stigmatized, isolated by remote geography, or lacking technological infrastructure. Current and future approaches will transform inpatient, outpatient, and remote care.