JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In June 2025, during the closure of Israel’s airspace, Sheba BEYOND - the virtual hospital of Sheba Medical Center - activated an international physician volunteer network to support citizens stranded abroad who required prescription renewals.

Objective:

The objective of our study was to describe the operational model, implementation process, and measured outcomes of this global initiative, and to consider how this experience may shed light on future possibilities for global health cooperation.

Methods:

A descriptive observational study of a telehealth intervention implemented in June 2025. Physicians were recruited through encrypted messaging groups and social media platforms. Operational data from the call center and physician network were collected prospectively during the 8-day implementation period, and post hoc patient and physician satisfaction surveys were administered and analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic review.

Results:

During 8 days of operation, the call center received 1,283 patient requests from 47 countries; 1,197 were addressed after exclusions. The largest volumes came from the US (276, 23.1%) followed by Greece (141, 11.8%), Italy (86, 7.2%), Germany (85, 7.1%), UK (79, 6.6%) and Cyprus (72, 6.0%). 33.2% of requests were not fulfilled through physician pairing and were instead directed to third-party providers, pharmacies, or self-resolved. Of 337 patient survey respondents, 57.3% reported receiving a prescription from a local physician and 52.2% successfully obtained medication, culminating in a 91.7% successful match rate; 65.6% were satisfied or very satisfied with the service. Among 309 registered volunteer physicians, 71 completed a survey: the median number of requests fulfilled was 2 (IQR 1-8.5); 86·3% agreed requests were appropriate; 77.1% reported no major cultural or systemic barriers; and 77.1% expressed willingness to participate in future initiatives.

Conclusions:

This rapid, crisis-driven global telehealth initiative demonstrated that existing virtual care infrastructure and mobilized physician networks can be leveraged to meet cross-border health needs. Although regulatory and systemic differences posed challenges, digital platforms enabled agile response and broad physician engagement. This experience suggests a blueprint for integrating international physician collaborations into global health preparedness and delivery frameworks.