Azithromycin – application in the era of telemedicine Review article

Abstract

The pandemic has forced the limitation of direct contact between doctors and patients. Telemedical visit appeared in doctor’s offices and became an indispensable form of medical procedure. This form of patient communication can change current models of medical care. Providing health services with the use of teleinformatic communication (e.g. telephone, internet) allows for the assessment of the patient’s health condition, diagnosis and treatment implementation. The assessment of photos taken by the patient may significantly bring the diagnostician closer to the correct diagnosis and be necessary for the implementation of effective treatment. However, when conducting a telemedical visit, the physician should exercise due diligence, conduct a thorough interview, describe the patient’s health condition and the resulting therapeutic decisions in the documentation, and describe the treatment method used.

During telemedicine treatment of infections, we can use macrolides, including azithromycin. Over the many years of use, its good effectiveness, low bacterial resistance and an excellent safety profile have been confirmed. The clinical scenarios in which we can use azithromycin during the telemedical visit are patients with pharyngitis and allergic to β-lactam antibiotics, with documented pertussis (the whooping cough), and for the prophylaxis of traveler’s diarrhea. However, let’s remember about the limitations and pitfalls that may occur during the telemedical visit.