Current state and future perspectives of telemedicine use in surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review protocol

•One of the potentially beneficial tools in reducing the risks for overwhelming the healthcare system is telemedicine.•Current use of telemedicine in surgery has not been adequately evaluated.•This review identifies challenges and potential solutions in the use of telemedicine.•The findings may potentially help in understanding the challenges and future directions of telemedicine use in surgery.