ETHICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF TELEMEDICINE APPLIED IN ORTHOPEDICS

Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, many outpatient services were suspended, affecting hundreds of patients. As a result, several countries were forced to seek strategies to readapt their health systems, one of which was the expansion of telemedicine. Currently, telemedicine is used for several specialties, facilitating the treatment and follow-up of patients who have difficulty accessing it. Tele-orthopedics, telemedicine applied to the orthopedic specialty, allows orthopedic care to be offered to patients regardless of orthopedics presents high patient satisfaction, allowing greater rehabilitation effectiveness after surgery and treatment compliance. There is much information in the current literature about telemedicine's legal and ethical aspects, but it is fragmented. and ethical aspects, emphasizing tele-orthopedics. The ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice must be respected, as well the privacy and confidentiality during use. Level of Evidence V: Expert Opinion.