[Telemedical care and IT-based systems in rheumatology]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and also the ever-increasing demands on the healthcare system, have led to a focus on the further development of telemedical services in rheumatology.

What is the evidence for telemedical services in rheumatology?

Narrative review of existing literature on telemedicine in rheumatology.

Electronic patient reported outcomes (ePROs) can be determined by patients from their home and sent electronically to the rheumatologist. In future, ePROs may help with the decision whether a patient needs to attend the clinic for a visit or the visit can be rescheduled due to remission and well-being. Telemedicine has already been used for well-controlled patients with rheumatic diseases with good results in terms of safety and disease activity compared to conventional face-to-face visits. Telemedicine represents an interesting tool for appointment prioritization and triaging, while automated algorithm-based applications are currently too imprecise for routine clinical use. The role of smartphone applications in the care of patients with rheumatic diseases is still unclear.

Telemedicine represents an interesting option for certain patient populations with rheumatic diseases. Apart from research on the effectiveness and safety of telemedical interventions, decision makers need to set clear rules on how telemedicine should be used to provide the best possible care for the individual patient.