Letters
Why telemedicine is here to stay
Why telemedicine diminishes the doctor-patient relationship
BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4348 (Published 10 November 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m4348
- Janet Menage, retired GP
- Llanybydder SA40 9YJ, UK
- janetmenage123{at}btinternet.com
Stokel-Walker says that telemedicine is here to stay.1
“Tele” is from the Greek, meaning “far off,” and a clinician is “a doctor having direct contact with patients.”2 Telemedicine is therefore oxymoronic, unless medicine now refers solely to the distribution of drugs and not to the clinical activity of examining patients.
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