Infectious Diseases Society of America Position Statement on Telehealth and Telemedicine as Applied to the Practice of Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Over the last 2 decades, telemedicine has effectively demonstrated its ability to increase access to care. This access has the ability to deliver quality clinical care and offer potential savings to the healthcare system. With increasing frequency, physicians, clinics, and medical centers are harnessing modern telecommunications technologies to manage a multitude of acute and chronic conditions, as well as incorporating telehealth into teaching and research. The technologies spanning telehealth, telemedicine, and mobile health (mHealth) are rapidly evolving, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has prepared this updated position statement to educate its membership on the use of telemedicine and telehealth technologies. IDSA supports the appropriate and evidence-based use of telehealth technologies to provide up-to-date, timely, cost-effective subspecialty care to resource-limited populations.

Keywords: antimicrobial stewardship; infectious diseases; store-and-forward; telehealth; telemedicine.