Window into the Future | Telemedicine and e-Health

Oftentimes events happened that are totally unexpected and our response may be observed on national television. This was the case during a recent Monday night football game in Cincinnati, Ohio, where a player collapsed on the field and was rushed to the hospital after life-saving measures. Now the player is back at home recovering, and we all will look at the systems in place to see how we can respond more effectively in similar circumstances, perhaps developing better technology or better training. Since that night, several individuals from all walks of life have succumbed to similar events and indeed many did not survive.

If we take these kinds of events, analyze them, look for cause and effect, we can project into the future that change will come. The events of today are but a lens into the future—a window if you will, which implies that we can design, train, and provide better systems to respond. The current public health emergency has taught us that through the unparalleled growth in the use of telemedicine and telehealth, health care can be accommodated. In a large urban area, what was witnessed on the playing field was addressed in real-time by highly skilled personnel. This, however, may not always be the case. Access maybe limited. Geography may be limited. Policy and politics may be arduous or interfering. Often telemedicine and telehealth have been brought forward as a tool.

Events shape the future. They create opportunity for innovation and as we know we can be better prepared. Take the automatic external defibrillator (AED); they are everywhere and have saved numerous lives. If we look in the rear-view mirror, we can see that technology has made an impact. Experiential learning is steeped in data. Data can drive change in processes, policies, belief systems, and so on. Looking out the window with the knowledge of the past enables and emboldens us to change.

As I have mentioned in the past, what we learned yesterday and the day before that, and the day before that, has shaped us. Although the theoretical underpinnings provide the foundation we have built the pillars of science and medicine on, it is the experiential learning that provides cannon fodder for change. The window into the future provides us all a view of how we got to this window in the first place. If I look out the window and see an amazing sunrise, sunset, grown children, whatever it is, I know that there was a journey to get to that window!

Without a window I am looking at walls covered with esoteric stuff. The lighting is not right. The view may in fact be abysmal. So next time you look out a window, be observant and give some thought to how you might contribute to change. It may not be as challenging as you might think.

We appreciate all those who thought outside the box and created technology that has changed our lives!

What Is in This Issue

As you know, the public health emergency is not over, even though it seems to be subsiding. The lessons learned for the past several years continues to bring outstanding submissions to this journal. Of the articles in this issue, 11 are focused on COVID-19. Of all the articles in this issue, the countries of origin of this study include Australia, Bahrain, China, France, Morocco, Spain, the United States, and Vietnam. They cover a wide variety of clinical issues and serve as wonderful additions to the growing telemedicine and telehealth foundation.