COVID-19 has taken the concept of telemedicine from a pipe dream to a fixture across Ontario, with many doctors expressing the hope that the change is here to stay long beyond the pandemic.Patient advocates describe the shift as a double-edged sword, saying the increased health-care access that remote care can provide is often countered by drawbacks that place seniors, disabled Canadians and other marginalized communities at greater risk of harm.Dr.
Samantha Hill, president of the Ontario Medical Association and a practising cardiac surgeon, said the change came about abruptly as the medical profession hastened to adapt to a health-care landscape turned upside down by the novel coronavirus.