[Telemedicine in maternal health in times of COVID-19: Five national and international projects].

Benski, Anne Caroline; Reich, Michael R; Martinez de Tejada, Begoña

Telemedicine in maternal health consists on the use of remote communication to reach, diagnose, treat and follow up patients in the context of pre and post-natal care. Covid-19 has accelerated the use of telemedicine. In the Obstetrics Division of HUG we have developed five projects in Geneva and in low-resource zones of the world with the objective of improving access and quality of care. Based on our experience, the application of telemedicine to maternal health problems has shown three major advantages: improved access to care, standardized procedures and accelerated speed of intervention. However, to be effective, telemedicine requires a health staff with a good level of medical and computer skills as well as fluid communication among all participants and constant follow-up of the information flow.