Ethical considerations for practice of telemedicine in Peru: challenges in the time of covid-19.

Abstract

Telemedicine has significant potential to benefit patients but also ethical challenges, which could weaken the clinician-patient relationship. The ethical practice of telemedicine avoids risks in the quality, safety and continuity of medical care. This article explains how the ethical principles that guide conventional medical practice can be performed within telemedicine: fidelity, competence, transparency, privacy and confidentiality, and continuity of care. The challenges for the application of evidence-based telemedicine practice, the need for telemedicine training, and the management of conflicts of interest in Peru are analyzed within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.