Opinions of Portuguese Veterinarians on Telemedicine—A Policy Delphi Study
Telemedicine has only received limited attention by veterinary professional regulatory bodies, particularly in Europe. In Portugal, telemedicine is currently outside what is considered acceptable practice by the regulator, the Portuguese Veterinary Order (Ordem dos Médicos Veterinários). As part of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2020.00549/full |
| _version_ | 1818849960049770496 |
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| author | Manuel Magalhães-Sant'Ana Manuel Magalhães-Sant'Ana Maria Conceição Peleteiro Maria Conceição Peleteiro George Stilwell George Stilwell |
| author_facet | Manuel Magalhães-Sant'Ana Manuel Magalhães-Sant'Ana Maria Conceição Peleteiro Maria Conceição Peleteiro George Stilwell George Stilwell |
| author_sort | Manuel Magalhães-Sant'Ana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Telemedicine has only received limited attention by veterinary professional regulatory bodies, particularly in Europe. In Portugal, telemedicine is currently outside what is considered acceptable practice by the regulator, the Portuguese Veterinary Order (Ordem dos Médicos Veterinários). As part of a wider research aimed at gathering evidence for developing a new veterinary Code of Professional Conduct, this study describes the use of the Policy Delphi technique to gather the views and perceptions of a purposeful sample of 41 Portuguese veterinarians regarding telemedicine. Four main issues were addressed using mixed research methods: teleconsultation, teleconsulting, teleadvice, and the regulator's role. Responses highlight participants' perception of both the relevance of medical digital technologies in improving healthcare and their limitations. Overall opinion was that, although restrictions to remote veterinary practice should be reduced, improved guidance and regulation are warranted. Eighty percent of participants considered that limits to the use of veterinary telemedicine should be imposed and two thirds considered that a remote consultation must always be preceded by a face-to-face consultation. While most respondents thought that vet-to-vet teleconsulting using social media (namely Facebook) should not be banned, 83% recognized that it should be regulated by ethical standards. Participants' concerns with telemedicine had mostly to do with reputational risk for the veterinary profession, while overlooking privacy or confidentiality issues. A consultative group should be established to ensure that telemedicine providers comply with professional requirements. It is expected that these results will support policy-making by the Portuguese Veterinary Order and by veterinary regulators at other jurisdictions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T06:41:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-36edfabd264846568e496d33cc132d78 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T06:41:32Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-36edfabd264846568e496d33cc132d782022-12-21T20:32:04ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692020-08-01710.3389/fvets.2020.00549566904Opinions of Portuguese Veterinarians on Telemedicine—A Policy Delphi StudyManuel Magalhães-Sant'Ana0Manuel Magalhães-Sant'Ana1Maria Conceição Peleteiro2Maria Conceição Peleteiro3George Stilwell4George Stilwell5Ordem dos Médicos Veterinários, Lisbon, PortugalCIISA—Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, PortugalOrdem dos Médicos Veterinários, Lisbon, PortugalCIISA—Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, PortugalOrdem dos Médicos Veterinários, Lisbon, PortugalCIISA—Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, PortugalTelemedicine has only received limited attention by veterinary professional regulatory bodies, particularly in Europe. In Portugal, telemedicine is currently outside what is considered acceptable practice by the regulator, the Portuguese Veterinary Order (Ordem dos Médicos Veterinários). As part of a wider research aimed at gathering evidence for developing a new veterinary Code of Professional Conduct, this study describes the use of the Policy Delphi technique to gather the views and perceptions of a purposeful sample of 41 Portuguese veterinarians regarding telemedicine. Four main issues were addressed using mixed research methods: teleconsultation, teleconsulting, teleadvice, and the regulator's role. Responses highlight participants' perception of both the relevance of medical digital technologies in improving healthcare and their limitations. Overall opinion was that, although restrictions to remote veterinary practice should be reduced, improved guidance and regulation are warranted. Eighty percent of participants considered that limits to the use of veterinary telemedicine should be imposed and two thirds considered that a remote consultation must always be preceded by a face-to-face consultation. While most respondents thought that vet-to-vet teleconsulting using social media (namely Facebook) should not be banned, 83% recognized that it should be regulated by ethical standards. Participants' concerns with telemedicine had mostly to do with reputational risk for the veterinary profession, while overlooking privacy or confidentiality issues. A consultative group should be established to ensure that telemedicine providers comply with professional requirements. It is expected that these results will support policy-making by the Portuguese Veterinary Order and by veterinary regulators at other jurisdictions.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2020.00549/fulltelemedicineteleconsultationcode of conductteleconsultingteleadvicePortugal |
| spellingShingle | Manuel Magalhães-Sant'Ana Manuel Magalhães-Sant'Ana Maria Conceição Peleteiro Maria Conceição Peleteiro George Stilwell George Stilwell Opinions of Portuguese Veterinarians on Telemedicine—A Policy Delphi Study Frontiers in Veterinary Science telemedicine teleconsultation code of conduct teleconsulting teleadvice Portugal |
| title | Opinions of Portuguese Veterinarians on Telemedicine—A Policy Delphi Study |
| title_full | Opinions of Portuguese Veterinarians on Telemedicine—A Policy Delphi Study |
| title_fullStr | Opinions of Portuguese Veterinarians on Telemedicine—A Policy Delphi Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Opinions of Portuguese Veterinarians on Telemedicine—A Policy Delphi Study |
| title_short | Opinions of Portuguese Veterinarians on Telemedicine—A Policy Delphi Study |
| title_sort | opinions of portuguese veterinarians on telemedicine a policy delphi study |
| topic | telemedicine teleconsultation code of conduct teleconsulting teleadvice Portugal |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2020.00549/full |
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