The use of telehealth and digital health platforms has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the implementation of physical distancing measures and restrictions. To address the pandemic threat, telehealth was promptly and extensively developed, implemented, and used to maintain continuity of care offered through multi-purpose technology platforms considered as virtual healthcare facilities. The aim of this paper is to define telehealth and discuss some aspects of its utilization, role, and impact, but also opportunities and future implications particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to support our reflection and consolidate our viewpoints, numerous bibliographical sources and relevant literature were identified through an electronic keyword search of four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate). In this paper, we consider that telehealth to be a very interesting approach which can be effective and affordable for health systems aiming to facilitate access to care, maintain quality and safety of care, and engage patients and health professionals and users of health services. However, we also believe that telehealth faces many challenges, such as the issue of lack of human contact in care, confidentiality, and data security, also accessibility and training in the use of platforms for telehealth. Despite the many challenges it faces, we believe telehealth has enormous potential for strengthening and improving healthcare services. In this paper, we also call for and encourage further studies to build a solid and broad understanding of telehealth challenges with its short-term and long-term clinical, organizational, socio-economic, and ethical impacts.

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are subject to long-term management and a complex care process. Patients with HIV are clinically, socially, and emotionally vulnerable, face many challenges, and are often stigmatized. Healthcare providers should engage them with diligence in the HIV care cascade process. In this paper, we discuss from our viewpoint certain social and public health barriers and challenges that should be considered by healthcare providers to better engage patients in the HIV care cascade process and maximize its outcomes.

UNSTRUCTURED The use of telehealth and digital health platforms has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the implementation of physical distancing measures and restrictions. To address the pandemic threat, telehealth has been promptly and extensively developed, implemented, and used to maintain continuity of care offered through multi-purpose technology platforms considered virtual healthcare facilities. The aim of this paper is to define telehealth and discuss some aspects of its utilization, role, and impacts, but also opportunities, and future implications particularly during the COVID19 pandemic. In order to support our reflection and consolidate our viewpoints, numerous bibliographical sources and relevant literature were identified through an electronic keyword search of four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Research Gate). In this paper, we consider that telehealth as a very interesting approach and can be effective and affordable for health systems aiming to facilitate access to care, maintain quality and safety of care, and engage patients and health professionals and users of health services. However, we also believe that telehealth faces many challenges, such as the issue of lack of human contact in care, confidentiality, and data security, also accessibility and training in the use of platforms telehealth. Despite the many challenges it faces, we believe telehealth has enormous potential for strengthening and improving healthcare services. In this review, we also call for and encourage further studies to build a solid and broad understanding of telehealth challenges with its short-term and long-term clinical, organizational, socio-economic, and ethical impacts.

The COVID-19 pandemic created an urgent need to act to reduce the spread of the virus and alleviate congestion in healthcare services, protect health professionals, and help them maintain satisfactory quality and safety of care. Remote monitoring platforms (RPM) emerged as potential solutions. In this study, we evaluate, from health professionals’ perspectives, the capacity and contribution of two different digital platforms to maintain quality, safety, and patient engagement in care. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a survey in which a total of 491 health professionals participated. The results show that, in general, user perceptions of the quality and safety of care provided through the platforms were positive. The ease of access to health professionals’ services in general and shorter waiting times for patients were the two main features that were highly appreciated by most participants. However, some problems were encountered during the use of these two platforms, such as a lack of training and/or direct support for users. To improve the two platforms and maximize their use, the areas for improvement and the issues identified should be addressed as part of a collaborative process involving health professionals and patients as well as health system leaders, decision-makers, and digital platform providers.

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) has driven significant advancements in Canadian healthcare, especially during the transformative period from 2018 to 2023. This perspective article explores the state of play and examines the current landscape of RPM platforms adopted across Canada, detailing their functionalities and measurable impacts on healthcare outcomes, particularly in chronic disease management and hospital readmission reduction. We explore the regulatory, technical, and operational challenges that RPM faces, including critical issues around data privacy, security, and interoperability, factors essential for sustainable integration. Additionally, this article provides a balanced analysis of RPM's potential for continued growth within Canadian healthcare, highlighting its strengths and limitations in the post-2023 context and offering strategic recommendations to guide its future development. Keywords: Remote Patient Monitoring, Digital Health, Virtual Care, Canadian Healthcare, Healthcare Technology, AI, Perspectives.

Medicine stands at a cognitive tipping point as the volume of biomedical information expands faster than clinicians can realistically monitor, synthesize, and apply new evidence in routine practice. Once a marker of scientific progress, this acceleration now challenges the foundations of clinical expertise, patient safety, and medical education. This Perspective examines the widening gap between evidence generation and evidence implementation, arguing that artificial intelligence should not replace clinicians but serve as a cognitive partner. Properly designed and ethically governed systems can assist clinicians by organizing and contextualizing large bodies of information, enabling greater focus on clinical judgment, empathy, and human connection. When integrated thoughtfully, artificial intelligence has the potential to strengthen patient engagement, reduce administrative burden, and support shared human and machine cognition in care delivery. Sustaining clinical excellence in an era of accelerating information growth will depend on embracing artificial intelligence as a collaborative tool and redefining how physicians learn, think, and care. The future of medicine will remain profoundly human, precisely because it is intelligently augmented.