ACOG Committee Statement No. 20:Ethical Considerations With Telehealth in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Abstract

The term "telehealth" is used to describe technology-enhanced health care frameworks that allow traditional clinical diagnosis and monitoring to be delivered or facilitated by technology. The terms "telemedicine," "connected health," and "digital health" are also used to describe similar technological applications in health care. These frameworks may include services such as virtual visits, remote patient monitoring, and mobile health care. Relying on the core ethical principles can assist obstetrician-gynecologists in ethical conduct or interpretation of these novel technologies as they arise. In this Committee Statement, we discuss the ethical implications and relevant questions involved in the increasing adoption of telehealth in obstetrics and gynecology and how best to ensure that these new modalities align with the foundational bioethical principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice.