Hindsight · review build · data not yet validated
Telemedicine is widely used. Physicians can examine patients using visual, auditory and haptic examination from a distance. Health clinics with relatively inexpensive equipment and a single technician bring health care to remote areas where doctors had previously been scarce.
Grader A: miss
Telemedicine was not widely used for patient examination in 2009. Even in 2018-2019 US telemedicine primary care visits averaged about 1.4 million per quarter, a tiny share of visits, and use jumped only during COVID-19 in 2020. Remote haptic examination remained research. Teleradiology and some rural programs existed but do not make the claim true.
Test: Share of patient visits by telemedicine: well under 5% through 2019 (about 1.4 million primary care visits per quarter in 2018-2019).
Grader B: miss
Remote examination of patients was not widely used in 2009 and did not include haptic examination. Telehealth was used mainly for specialist consults and teleradiology in limited programs. Remote touch ('telehaptics') was still described as future research. Clinics with one technician and cheap equipment delivering care to remote areas existed as pilots, not at scale. Video visits became widespread only in 2020, outside the window.
Test: Test: 20% of patient examinations or of physicians using remote visual, auditory and haptic examination. 2009-2014: remote haptic examination 0%; live video telemedicine a small share of visits (no retrieved figure above 5%).