Telemedicine-Only in emergency cases?: Examples of use in acute and emergency medicine

Up to 2018 there was a ban on remote treatment for doctors. Now that it has been relaxed, telemedicine is also rising in acute and emergency medicine. As a generic term telemedicine includes teleconsultations/video consultations (including telediagnostics and teletherapy) tele-case conferences and telemonitoring. Nowadays, there are many possibilities for application, always in compliance with data protection and the legal framework. The diagnostic tools in telemedicine are well-advanced and include synchronous (parallel) and asynchronous (time-shifted) procedures. Communication in telemedicine is subject to special features, and interprofessional cooperation is increasingly becoming the focus. Especially in the case of acute but not emergency illnesses, telemedicine can help relieve the burden on practices and emergency departments. In the future, new forms of care, such as the community paramedic or other acute care services, could be supported by telemedicine.