Medwave (Mar 2025)
Dimensions related to telemedicine and telehealth competencies of health professionals: A scoping review
Abstract
Introduction Telehealth and telemedicine have proven to be useful in complementing face-to-face care, especially when long distances exist or when it is difficult to access specialists. New competencies are required to implement telehealth and telemedicine, not only in the use of technologies, but also in areas such as communication and ethics. Objective To identify the dimensions associated with competencies in telemedicine and telehealth from the perspective of professionals in the area based on research developed in the last ten years. Methods A Scoping Review was carried out by reviewing the WoS, Scopus, PubMed, and Scielo databases. The selection of publications included only original articles in both Spanish and English available under Open Access between the years 2013 and 2023. Results The review identified twelve key dimensions in telemedicine and telehealth, highlighting “Technological knowledge in general and in telehealth technologies”, present in 25 papers. Seventeen papers addressed the dimensions of “coordination, cooperation and management”, highlighting the effective integration of multidisciplinary teams. Ethical competencies, professionalism and legal aspects, essential to guarantee privacy, informed consent and safety in telehealth, were also highlighted. Professionalism includes effective communication, technical skills and clinical reasoning, while safety encompasses data protection, promoting ethical and patient-centered care. Interpretation The dimensions identified can guide researchers to better understand the competencies needed in the field of telehealth. Moreover, they can provide key elements for the development of a contextualized training framework leading to quality, flexible and more equitable remote care, responding to the needs of a society that is changing and adapting daily.
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