The reasons given by trainees as barriers to telemedicine practice included fear of weakening the patient-physician relationship; concerns about ease of use by patients; and unfamiliarity with telemedicine technology. Not surprisingly, the majority of trainees (78 percent) believed training in telemedicine was needed. In particular, trainees expressed the need to learn more about the medicolegal aspects of telemedicine, how to conduct virtual clinical assessment, and how to document their patients' visits.

A recent survey published by the Canadian Medical Association reported that four of every 10 Canadians would prefer to have their medical care provided via telemedicine even after the COVID-19 pandemic is resolved. As telemedicine technology continues to evolve and provincial authorities increase their support, more and more Canadians are expected to prefer virtual options for their healthcare needs.


According to Dr. Nair, "The findings that only one in two trainees is comfortable with telemedicine and one in four do not plan to provide telemedicine services in the future are therefore concerning." To address this educational gap, Dr. Nair and Dr. Aws Almufleh, the lead investigators, are now developing a telemedicine curriculum to better prepare cardiology trainees to take part in providing evidence-based, high quality virtual outpatient care.

"The pandemic has magnified the need for accessible virtual outpatient care in medicine. As educators, it is incumbent upon us to train the future generation of cardiology specialists to provide the highest quality virtual care services for all patients who need them. We are optimistic that by collaborating with educators from around the country, we can accomplish this goal," commented Dr. Nair.

Back to HCB News

Cardiology Homepage