Telemedicine as one of the directions of innovative technologies in Ukraine

Abstract

The emergence and development of the latest innovative information technologies have affected all areas of human activity, including medicine. Unsatisfactory health care for people living in remote and rural areas, the need for emergency medical care, the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic in the acute respiratory disease COVID-19, and the impetus for war telemedicine in Ukraine. Telemedicine is becoming an alternative to direct visits to the doctor, saves time and money of the patient, while receiving timely quality medical services. Despite certain pitfalls and obstacles to its development (weak Internet coverage and imperfect technical equipment, ignorance of medical staff in this method of treatment, economic barriers, lack of proper legal support, mental barriers, etc.), the number of people who use this method of providing services, is growing every day. Ukraine, in contrast to Europe and the world, where telemedicine has long been commonplace, today is only taking the first steps to implement this method in health care, which makes this study relevant.
The aim of the article is to consider telemedicine as one of the relatively new methods (ways) of providing medical services in Ukraine where distance is a critical factor. We are talking about the use of the latest innovative information and communication technologies for the purpose of providing medical care to the population, namely: diagnosis, treatment, prevention of diseases, including the exchange of experience between doctors "at a distance". The state and level of development of telemedicine in European countries and the world are considered, the positive aspects of its implementation are investigated, which are: the possibility of obtaining a wide range of medical services, spending much less time visiting a doctor; the consultant doctor has the necessary information about the patient, thanks to the digital format of medical records, which significantly speeds up his treatment and eliminates the likelihood of medical error; availability of medical services for the population living in areas where there is a shortage of doctors; the ability to receive emergency medical care, especially in pandemics, martial law and emergencies; providing assistance to medical staff by involving other specialists, creating a council; as well as obtaining a "second" opinion of a specialist to correctly diagnose or treat the patient.
The current and future national legislation on the research topic is analyzed. The stages of introduction of telemedicine in health care institutions of Ukraine are determined and considered.