The current role of telehealth in the management of patients with osteoporosis

Introduction: Telehealth is the use of electronic technologies for communication, storage, and analysis of health-related information. Telemedicine is a form of telehealth that involves remote patient care. This is a review and update of the use of these modalities as they apply to the education of healthcare professionals who provide care for patients with osteoporosis and the delivery of their care. Areas covered: This review focuses on technology-enabled collaborative learning and its prototype model, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). Bone Health TeleECHO and similar programs apply the ECHO model of learning to mentor healthcare professionals on implementation of best practice care for patients with osteoporosis and other skeletal diseases. Telemedicine, which has seen widespread uptake during the COVID-19 pandemic, is an alternative to in-person visits for patients with osteoporosis as well as for those with other conditions. Expert opinion: Remote education of healthcare professionals and the remote delivery of patient care provides opportunities, as well as challenges, for achieving the goal of reducing the global burden of osteoporotic fractures.

Automated summary

This article reviews the application of telehealth and teleeducation in the care of osteoporosis and introduces related programs and models. Telemedicine has been widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic and provides opportunities for reducing the burden of osteoporotic fractures globally.