Assessment of patients with acute respiratory symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic by Telemedicine: clinical features and impact on referral.
Tarso Augusto Duenhas AccorsiKarine De Amicis LimaAlexandra Régia Dantas BrigidoDeborah De Sá Pereira BelfortFabio Cetinic HabrumFernando Garcia ScarpantiIuri Resedá MagalhãesJosé Roberto de Oliveira da SilvaLeon Pablo Cartaxo SampaioMaria Tereza Sampaio de Sousa LiraRenata Albaladejo MorbeckCarlos Henrique Sartorato PedrottiEduardo CordioliPublished in: Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) (2020)
Telemedicine assessment is associated with reclassification of patient's subjective impression, better inspection of coronavirus disease 2019 and identification of risk patients. Referral is therefore optimized to avoid inappropriate in-person assessment, and low-risk patients can be properly guided. Telemedicine should be implemented in the health care system as a cost-effective strategy for initial assessment of acute patients.