Recommendations on the intervention of patients with rheumatological diseases by telemedicine in Colombia

Introduction

Telemedicine, defined as the provision of remote health services by health professionals using Information and Communication Technologies, has been adopted in healthcare in Colombia.

Objective

To establish recommendations for the implementation and management of telemedicine in clinical practice for rheumatological diseases in Colombia

Materials and methods

The recommendations were made in 3 phases. Phase 1 was based on an extended review and a systematic review of the literature. Phase 2 consisted of the selection of attributes and components based on the extended review to delimit the framework of the recommendations using the Delphi method. In phase 3, a group of experts, based on the systematic review, the selected attributes and components, and individual experience made recommendations through a nominal group.

Results

The framework of recommendations comprised 9 attributes and 26 components. A group of 7 rheumatologists in 4 cities of the country was formed. The nominal group drafted the final recommendations through 3 rounds according to the recommendations with a high priority rating.

Conclusion

This document contains recommendations for effective telemedicine healthcare for rheumatological diseases in Colombia. To establish effective telemedicine healthcare, it is necessary to evaluate different possible forms of care, the convenience of using telemedicine according to the clinical-cultural and sociodemographic profile of the patient, the access and implementation capacity of the different technological tools, and the exhaustive analysis of the barriers and facilitators to its adoption.