Timelines and Timeliness in Telemedicine

We all have timelines that must be met. In some instances, there are consequences for not being on time. You might get docked time for being late for work. You might miss a flight, or you might get a lower grade because you did not turn in your final paper on time. There are outcomes for everything we do—a sort of cause and effect. While there are many examples, each can be addressed in some way. Perhaps being late might be a good thing. Late adopters might have a better outcome than early adopters. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves! However, in medicine, timelines are crucial to be met. The same can be said about timeliness. In health care, timelines and timeliness are engrained in education, training, and all processes in its delivery. In other words, you cannot be late! But what if you do not have all the resources?

If you have all the capabilities in the world at your disposal, they may in fact not be enough. Consider the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s termination of the Crew-11 from the International Space Station (ISS) a month earlier than originally planned due to a medical issue. This termination impacted the timeline of the current mission and future missions. While the ISS crews are connected to the ground through a telemedicine link, the necessary tests that were needed in this case were not available on board, thus the early return this past January. In this scenario, timing is everything. We know that there are many examples worldwide where the capability does not exist, and telemedicine has been applied. We also know that telemedicine is becoming more widespread.

Timeliness is also important in research. For example, during the last two U.S. Government shutdowns, resources like the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed service, while operational is not updated during the shutdown. So, if you were in the middle of writing an article or a grant proposal, these activities could be impacted by limiting access to materials that you might need to accomplish your task(s).

A recent search of the term ‘timeliness in telemedicine’ on PubMed produced 247 items from 1993 to the present. Here are several relevant examples that illustrate the importance of timeliness as it relates to medicine and telemedicine. Becker et al. discuss how the use of telemedicine in the early 1990s provided more accuracy in remote consultation with video microscopy for pathology. ¹ Parsons et al. discussed how electronic reporting provides immediate access to public health information, which is of vital importance in a pandemic. ² Keating et al. in their more recent writing discussed how artificial intelligence in the emergency department can improve timeliness and efficacy. ³ While these three are only the tip of the iceberg, it demonstrates that whatever gaps appear in health care delivery can be ameliorated in a timely manner with telemedicine.

One of my favorite songs of all time is U2’s “With or without You,” ⁴ which has nothing to do with medicine. But it reminds me of what health care would be today in this rapidly changing world without telemedicine and advanced technologies. If we did not have it, where would be? We know where we are with!

If we assume that access to health care and knowledge is readily available, then we must accept that advanced technology is a foundational construct. With more information at our disposal, we can make better-informed decisions, which benefit us individually and our communities regardless of our zip code. Timeliness is very important in our everyday lives, and the aforementioned tools can help us all be more efficient and therefore productive. No matter what naysayers believe, everyone benefits.