Telemedicine, telepsychiatry and COVID-19 pandemic: future prospects for global health

There is no denying that demand for telemedicine and telepsychiatry services has been on the rise, as the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the world and upset the daily lives and certainties of us all. Such growth, however, calls for a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in such innovative approaches, which are bound to change and evolve as the fourth industrial revolution unfolds before our eyes. The authors have set out to analyze the complexities and distinctive features of telemedicine and telepsychiatry by focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of such approaches and analyzing research findings, recommendations, and guidelines by scientific societies and institutions, for the ultimate purpose of striking a tenable balance between technological innovations and the ethics and moral imperative of guaranteeing equal access to care for everyone, irrespective of social and financial status. The European regulatory and legislative scenario has been briefly outlined, and the standards for the medicolegal sustainability of such practices have been explored. Ultimately, in order to improve accessibility without compromising the quality of care, new broadly shared ethical standards, best practices, and guidelines need to be prioritized. National legislative initiatives and the international sharing of information need to be encouraged, for the ultimate purpose of optimizing and harmonizing telemedicine-based care for the sake of all patients. As technology moves forward and evolves, so must the normative standards and guidelines on which professionals must be able to rely when delivering telemedicine-based care in an ethically and legally viable fashion. From that perspective, addressing the digital divide means enabling more people to receive care and should therefore be seen as part and parcel of the effort to uphold the universal human right to health.