Page 19 - JSOM Fall 2023

• Address emergency health services; some obstacles (technology, equipment, etc.), but they can
• Require less technical detail; and be overcome.
• That are currently already making practical use of telemed- • In order for telemedicine to be sustainable, personnel must
icine are the fields in which telemedicine can be applied and be ready and willing to change. This is necessary and possi-
supported relatively easily and more effectively. ble with pre-deployment training, both to break prejudices
and to open new horizons.
According to the 5-point Likert scale (Table 3), which was pre- • In Turkey, there is a need for a model that addresses emer-
pared to measure the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of gency healthcare services in the field.
the participants on telemedicine, telemedicine could be used in
the field (4.51 ± 0.62) and thus the personnel working in the Acknowledgments
operational field could reach information more easily (4.55 ± The authors wish to thank all military physicians for their
0.50). However, it was stated that healthcare personnel should participation.
accept innovation and change (4.55 ± 0.62) for this. In this
study, the physicians’ positive perspectives on telemedicine Disclaimer
and their statements that it could be beneficial based on their None.
experiences support the fact that this study paves the way for
future research. Disclosure
None.
Most of the participants stated that telemedicine applications
could have benefits in epidemics, disasters, and mass injuries Author Contributions
(4.43 ± 0.54). In a study conducted by Murphy et al. in 2020, MY and MC conducted the background research, planning,
the struggles of military medicine with epidemic diseases was and transcription of this. MC is the guarantor of both the
mentioned. It was stated that these diseases had a long history questionnaire phase and the article writing processes and is
9
ranging from the crusades to World War II. In the study, the the primary person responsible for this study. The study was
importance of correct diagnosis was mentioned and that it was completed with the help of medical statistics instructors of the
difficult in field conditions. In this context, the likelihood of University.
correct diagnosis and treatment could be increased by bring-
ing in the support of telemedicine physicians specialized in the Funding
diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Murphy et al. None.
also mentioned that the follow-up of these diseases is import- Ethical Approval
ant thanks to EpiNATO2, a surveillance system, and empha- See additional file named “Ethical Approval.”
sized that this should be included in telemedicine. 9
References
In the additional opinions and suggestions sections, partici- 1. Istanbulluoglu H. Koruyucu hekimlik açısından çok uluslu
˘
pants included the following comments: harekâtlarda saglık hizmeti destegi. Gülhane Tıp Dergisi. 2010;
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• Completing the telemedicine training of healthcare person- 52(4), 304–308.
nel prior to deployment; 2. Joint Health Services Publication 4-02. 28 September 2018. https://
• Using a system suitable for Turkey based on examples of www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/jp4_02ch1.
pdf. Accessed 4 May 2023.
telemedicine systems already in use; and 3. Division and Brigade Surgeons’ Handbook. 15 November 2000.
• Determining the legal and deontological aspects that the https://irp.fas.org/doddir/milmed/surghand.pdf. Accessed 4 May
system should have within the scope of its use. 2023.
4. Smith DJ, Bono RC, Slinger BJ. Transforming the Military Health
They stated that, if necessary, the medical knowledge of the System. JAMA. 318(24):2427–2428.
personnel working in the field should be supported by distance 5. Poropatich R, Lai E, Mcveigh F, Bashshur R. The U.S. Army Tele-
education. medicine and m-Health Program: Making a difference at home
and abroad. 19 April 2013. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/
abs/10.1089/tmj.2012.0297. Accessed 14 April 2023.
Survey studies have limitations. Although the study is success- 6. Chandra Sahoo G, Ansari Y, Kumar R, et al. Management of
ful in that it includes physicians who have worked in the field treatment and prevention of acute OP pesticide poisoning by
and as assistants, it is a weakness that it does not include phy- medical informatics, telemedicine, and nanomedicine. Int J Bio-
sicians who are still working in the field. Apart from this, the automation. 2013;17(3):177–194.
participants were not informed about telemedicine, and the 7. Lurie N, Carr BG. The role of telehealth in the medical response
to disasters. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(6):745–746.
authors attempted an objective approach regarding this topic 8. Poropatich R, Lappan C, Lam D. Operational use of U.S. Army
when it came to engaging with participants. Therefore, it was telemedicine information systems in Iraq and Afghanistan-
thought that participants’ knowledge on the subject would dif- considerations for NATO operations. 2010. https://apps.dtic.mil/
fer. Another limitation is that Turkey has a scarcity of military sti/citations/ADA581939. Accessed 14 April 2023.
doctors. 9. Murphy RJ. Communicable diseases in humanitarian operations
and disasters [published online ahead of print, 2020 Mar 2]. BMJ
Mil Health. 2020;bmjmilitary-2020-001415.
Conclusion 10. Dergisi TK-GÜSBe-Saglık, İyi Uygulama Örnegi; Hollanda. dergi-
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park.org.tr. 2021 Oct 11;6(3):203–217. https://dergipark.org.tr/
Some of the conclusions and suggestions drawn from this en/pub/gumussagbil/issue/31206/368271. Accessed 4 May 2023.
study are given below: 11. Lurie N, Carr BG. The role of telehealth in the medical response
• The majority of the participants predicted that telemedi- to disasters. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(6):745–746.
cine could be used in the field. They stated that there are
PMID: 37169529; DOI: 10.55460/TAYD-HUT5

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