In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many U.S. physicians have started offering telemedicine services. Specifically, telemedicine for contraceptive counseling services during the pandemic was a positive experience for both physicians and their patients.
Our routines as physicians have drastically changed. A recent study showed that physicians referred less than 25% of their contraceptive patients for an in-person visit after their virtual counseling, and the most common reason was for insertion of a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC), which obviously requires the patient to be in-person. The same study showed that almost two-thirds of the providers said they would be very happy if telemedicine were to become a routine part of their clinical practice after the pandemic. I believe that these services should be expanded as we emerge from the constraints of the pandemic, as it will be important to conduct telemedicine in normal times to assess whether this technology can meet patients' needs outside the pandemic.
Source: Stifini BM, Avila K, Levi EL Telemedicine for contraceptive counseling: an exploratory survey of US family planning providers following the rapid adoption of services during the COVID-I9 pandemic. Contraception. Published online November I 7. 2920. dio:10.10164.contramprion.2020.11.006
