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Almizani MS, Alshahir AA, Alsaygh EF, Alotaibi KM, Alzuaki MA, Almuslami AY, Aldakhil LO, AlYousif HA. Adaption and Usability of Telemedicine in Orthopedic Surgery in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study. Telemed J E Health 2024; 30:858-865. [PMID: 37751198 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2023.0289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Telemedicine has proven beneficial in improving patient satisfaction and access to care and reducing health care costs. The effectiveness of telemedicine in orthopedic surgery has been reported. However, data on its use in Saudi Arabia are scarce. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of telemedicine in orthopedic surgery in Saudi Arabia to better understand its integration and efficiency in this field. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between August and December 2022 to evaluate the knowledge and practice of telemedicine among orthopedic board-certified physicians in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a valid, structured, self-administered questionnaire distributed online via Google Forms. Results: A total of 111 orthopedic surgeons were included in this study. Most of the participants were males (95.5%), consultants (39.6%), and working in the central region (55.8%). Approximately 44.1% of the physicians used telemedicine before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, while 94% used it during the pandemic. More than half of the physicians reported easy access to telemedicine. However, most of the physicians reported that they were not satisfied with conducting virtual physical examinations for new, follow-up, and postoperative patients and were mostly satisfied with taking the virtual history. Conclusion: This study suggests that telemedicine is highly adopted for follow-up care and postoperative management in orthopedics, with high satisfaction rates among surgeons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed S Almizani
- Orthopedic Surgery Department, King Saudi Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Alwaleed Abdullah Alshahir
- College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ehab Fayez Alsaygh
- College of Medicine, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawwarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Kholoud Mohsen Alotaibi
- College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Ali Yousef Almuslami
- Orthopedic Surgery Department, King Saudi Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Lina Othman Aldakhil
- Research & Innovation Centre, King Saudi Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Shankar DS, Li ZI, Hoberman AR, Blaeser AM, Gonzalez-Lomas G, Youm T. Patient Satisfaction with Postoperative Telemedicine Versus In-Office Visits Following Primary Hip Arthroscopy: A Prospective Observational Study Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Telemed J E Health 2024; 30:464-471. [PMID: 37585554 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2023.0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to compare satisfaction with postoperative telemedicine visits versus in-office visits among patients undergoing primary hip arthroscopy. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted involving subjects ≥18 years old undergoing primary hip arthroscopy at a single center from January 2020 to February 2021. Subjects chose between a telemedicine or in-office visit for 6-week follow-up. Patient satisfaction after the 6-week visit was assessed using an electronic survey. The primary outcome was satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10. Intergroup comparisons of outcomes were performed using Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, or Fisher's exact test. p-Values <0.05 were considered significant. Results: Seventy-five patients (28M and 47F) were enrolled in the study with mean age 41.2 ± 12.7 years. Forty-four patients (58.7%) attended in-office visits and 31 (41.3%) attended telemedicine visits. There were no significant intergroup differences in age, gender, body mass index, or American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification (p > 0.05). There were no significant intergroup differences in satisfaction with overall care (in-office 9.6 vs. telemedicine 9.3, p = 0.08) or the 6-week visit (in-office 9.0 vs. telemedicine 8.0, p = 0.06). The telemedicine group more frequently reported visits taking <20 min (p = 0.002) and spending >10 min with their surgeon (p = 0.01). However, 51.6% of the telemedicine group and 74.7% of the entire cohort expressed a retrospective preference for in-office visits. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in satisfaction scores between hip arthroscopy patients assigned to telemedicine versus in-office visits for 6-week follow-up, but most patients expressed a preference for in-office visits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhruv S Shankar
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA
| | - Zachary I Li
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alexander R Hoberman
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA
| | - Anna M Blaeser
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA
| | - Guillem Gonzalez-Lomas
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA
| | - Thomas Youm
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA
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Prasad S, Cullen E, Jowett C. Examining the Effectiveness of Telephone Clinics: A Review of a Telephone Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Clinic in a District General Hospital in the United Kingdom. Cureus 2023; 15:e49196. [PMID: 38024093 PMCID: PMC10663046 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Since the outbreak of COVID-19, significant value has been placed on preventative methods for pathogen spread. One such method is the use of telemedicine via telephone clinics (TC). This article is designed to study TC in a District General Hospital in the United Kingdom. AIMS This clinical audit aims to evaluate the use of a TC in the United Kingdom and assess its effectiveness. It also aims to assess the use of a clinician-led triaging system to select patients who would receive subsequent telephone follow-ups (TFU). METHODOLOGY Two cycles were conducted. The first cycle was conducted in 2020 and the second cycle in 2022. In between the two cycles, a clinician-led triage system was implemented to reduce the number of patients being called back for a face-to-face (FTF) appointment. Data was collected regarding the outcomes of the appointments and compared between the two cycles. Chi-squared test statistical test was employed with a p-value < 0.05 deeming significance. RESULTS Overall, more discharges were made for 2022 outcomes compared to 2020 outcomes (30% vs 19%; p = 0.03) after employing the clinician-led triage. The number of patients listed for a TFU increased when comparing the 2020 versus 2022 datasets (21% vs 12%; p = 0.026), and the overall number of patients not attending appointments decreased when comparing the 2020 versus 2022 datasets (9% vs 17%; p = 0.033). CONCLUSION This article shows that for this particular clinic, an orthopaedic clinician-led triaging system allows for a greater number of patients to be discharged, lessened need for FTF consultations, and increased adherence to appointments by patients. However, much work is yet to be done concerning the long-term consequences and issues of rolling out nationwide telemedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surya Prasad
- Orthopaedics, The York Hospital, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, York, GBR
| | - Eleni Cullen
- Orthopaedics, The York Hospital, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, York, GBR
| | - Charlie Jowett
- Orthopaedics, The York Hospital, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, York, GBR
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Hofmann UK, Hildebrand F, Mederake M, Migliorini F. Telemedicine in orthopaedics and trauma surgery during the first year of COVID pandemic: a systematic review. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2023; 24:101. [PMID: 36750962 PMCID: PMC9903270 DOI: 10.1186/s12891-023-06194-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine in orthopaedics and trauma surgery had mostly developed for joint arthroplasty, fracture management, and general pre- and postoperative care including teleradiology. With the corona-outbreak, telemedicine was applied on a broad scale to prevent assemblage and to guarantee access to medical care protecting critical areas. The purpose of the present study was to give an overview of the spectrum of clinical applications and the efficacy of telemedicine in orthopaedic and trauma surgery as published in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS All published studies investigating the application of telemedicine related to orthopaedics and trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic were accessed and screened for suitability. The primary outcome of interest was the efficacy of telemedicine in various clinical applications. The secondary outcome of interest was the spectrum of different applications in which telemedicine applications were investigated. RESULTS The literature search resulted in 1047 articles. After the removal of duplicates, 894 articles were screened of which 31 finally met the inclusion criteria. Dimensions that were described by studies in the literature to have positive effects were preoperative patient optimisation, the usefulness of telemedicine to correctly diagnose a condition, conservative treatment, willingness to and feasibility for telemedicine in patients and doctors, and postoperative/post-trauma care improvement. The efficacy of telemedicine applications or interventions thereby strongly varied and seemed to depend on the exact study design and the research question addressed. CONCLUSION Various successful applications of telemedicine have already been reported in orthopaedics and trauma surgery, with a strong increase in scientific output during the COVID-19 years 2020-2021. Whether the advantages of such an approach will lead to a relevant implementation of telemedicine in everyday clinical practice should be monitored after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulf Krister Hofmann
- grid.412301.50000 0000 8653 1507Department of Orthopaedic, Trauma, and Reconstructive Surgery, RWTH University Hospital, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen, 52074 Germany
| | - Frank Hildebrand
- grid.412301.50000 0000 8653 1507Department of Orthopaedic, Trauma, and Reconstructive Surgery, RWTH University Hospital, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen, 52074 Germany
| | - Moritz Mederake
- grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Department of Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, BG Klinik, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72076 Germany
| | - Filippo Migliorini
- Department of Orthopaedic, Trauma, and Reconstructive Surgery, RWTH University Hospital, Pauwelsstraße 30, Aachen, 52074, Germany.
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Ainger E, McCANCE AC, Burford C, Black R, Fernandes R. Patient satisfaction with general surgery telephone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single surgeon experience. Minerva Surg 2023; 78:30-36. [PMID: 35575672 DOI: 10.23736/s2724-5691.22.09593-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development and use of telemedicine in surgical practice. Here we set out to understand patient satisfaction with the use of telephone consultation in the general surgical clinic and preference over face-to-face consultation. METHODS A prospective cohort study was carried out for consecutive patients seen in a general surgery telephone clinic by a single surgeon in a district general hospital in the UK from 1st September 2021 to 10th March 2022. Demographic data was collected from electronic patient records. At the end of the consultation patients were asked to: 1) score their satisfaction with the telephone consultation on a 5-point Likert Scale; and 2) whether they preferred telephone consultations to face-to-face appointments. It was noted if a patient required a further face-to-face consultation in addition to the telephone consultation. RESULTS The study included 245 patients who were reviewed by telephone consultation. Most patients (59.6%; N.=146) gave the telephone consultation the highest satisfaction score with a further 31% (N.=76) scoring it as a 4 out of 5. Only 2.8% of patients said they would have preferred a face-to-face consultation and gave a median satisfaction score of 2 (IQR 2-3) compared to 5 (IQR 4-5) in those who preferred telephone consultations (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Telemedicine is associated with high levels of patient satisfaction regardless of patient age or gender. Lower rates of satisfaction are associated with the need for further face-to-face follow-up. If telemedicine is to remain a permanent part of surgical practice, disease specific protocols for its use are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Ainger
- Department of General Surgery, William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, UK
| | - Angus C McCANCE
- Department of General Surgery, William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, UK -
| | | | - Rebecca Black
- Department of General Surgery, William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, UK
| | - Roland Fernandes
- Department of General Surgery, William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, UK
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Impact of Heart Disease History on Safety of Telemedicine Cardiac Clearance Appointments. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2022; 30:1131-1139. [PMID: 36400060 DOI: 10.5435/jaaos-d-22-00456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The objective of this study was to compare complication, readmission, mortality, and cancellation rates between patients who had either an in-person or telemedicine preoperative cardiac clearance visit before spine surgery. METHODS A retrospective review was conducted on patients who underwent a spine procedure at a single tertiary academic center from February 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021. Cancellations, inpatient complications, 90-day readmissions, and inpatient and 90-day mortality rates were compared between in-person and telemedicine cardiac clearance visits. Secondary analysis included multiple logistic regression to determine independent predictors of case cancellations and complications. Alpha was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS A total of 1,331 consecutive patients were included, with 775 patients (58.2%) having an in-person cardiac clearance visit and 556 (41.8%) having telemedicine clearance. Overall, the telemedicine cohort did not have more cancellations, complications, or readmissions. Regardless of the type of clearance, patients with a history of cardiac disease had more inpatient complications (15.8% versus 6.9%, P < 0.001) and higher 90-day mortality rates (2.3% versus 0.4%, P = 0.005). Subgroup analysis of patients with a history of cardiac disease showed that patients who had telemedicine visits had more cancellations (4.6% versus 10.9%, P = 0.036) and higher 90-day mortality rates (1.4% versus 4.4%, P = 0.045). On regression analysis, telemedicine visits were not independent predictors of preoperative cancellation rates (P = 0.173) but did predict greater preoperative cancellations among patients with cardiac history (odds ratio 2.73, P = 0.036). DISCUSSION Patients with cardiac disease who undergo preoperative telemedicine visits have greater preoperative surgical cancellation rates and postoperative 90-day mortality rates. Although preoperative telemedicine visits may be appropriate for most patients, a history of cardiac disease should be a contraindication.
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Merle G, Miclau T, Parent-Harvey A, Harvey EJ. Sensor technology usage in orthopedic trauma. Injury 2022; 53 Suppl 3:S59-S63. [PMID: 36182592 DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2022.09.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Medicine in general is quickly transitioning to a digital presence. Orthopaedic surgery is also being impacted by the tenets of digital health but there are also direct efforts with trauma surgery. Sensors are the pen and paper of the next wave of data acquisition. Orthopaedic trauma can and will be part of this new wave of medicine. Early sensor products that are now coming to market, or are in early development, will directly change the way we think about surgical diagnosis and outcomes. Sensor development for biometrics is already here. Wellness devices, pressure, temperature, and other parameters are already being measured. Data acquisition and analysis is going to be a fruitful addition to our research armamentarium with the volume of information now available. A combination of broadband internet, micro electrical machine systems (MEMS), and new wireless communication standards is driving this new wave of medicine. The Internet of Things (IoT) [1] now has a subset which is the Internet of Medical Devices [2-5] permitting a much more in-depth dive into patient procedures and outcomes. IoT devices are now being used to enable remote health monitoring, in hospital treatment, and guide therapies. This article reviews current sensor technology that looks to impact trauma care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Géraldine Merle
- École Polytechnique de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Theodore Miclau
- Orthopaedic Trauma Institute, University of Calfornia, School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics, San Francisco, USA
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Glinkowski WM. Orthopedic Telemedicine Outpatient Practice Diagnoses Set during the First COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown-Individual Observation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:5418. [PMID: 35564814 PMCID: PMC9103315 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a substantial intensification of the telemedicine transformation process in orthopedics since 2020. In the light of the legal regulations introduced in Poland, from the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, physicians, including orthopedic surgeons, have had the opportunity to conduct specialist teleconsultations. Teleconsultations increase epidemiological safety and significantly reduce the exposure of patients and medical staff to direct transmission of the viral vector and the spread of infections. The study aimed to describe diagnoses and clinical aspects of consecutive orthopedic teleconsultations (TC) during the pandemic lockdown. The diagnoses were set according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Hybrid teleconsultations used smartphones and obligatory Electronic Health Record (EHR) with supplemental voice, SMS, MMS, Medical images, documents, and video conferencing if necessary. One hundred ninety-eight consecutive orthopedic teleconsultations were served for 615 women and 683 men (mean age 41.82 years ± 11.47 years). The most frequently diagnosed diseases were non-acute orthopedic disorders "M" (65.3%) and injuries "S" (26.3%). Back pain (M54) was the most frequent diagnosis (25.5%). Although virtual orthopedic consultation cannot replace an entire personal visit to a specialist orthopedic surgeon, in many cases, teleconsultation enables medical staff to continue to participate in providing medical services at a sufficiently high medical level to ensure patient and physician. The unified approach to TC diagnoses using ICD-10 or ICD-11 may improve further research on telemedicine-related orthopedics repeatability. Future research directions should address orthopedic teleconsultations' practical aspects and highlight legal, organizational, and technological issues with their implementations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Michał Glinkowski
- Center of Excellence “TeleOrto” for Telediagnostics and Treatment of Disorders and Injuries of the Locomotor System, Department of Medical Informatics and Telemedicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 00-581 Warsaw, Poland;
- Polish Telemedicine and eHealth Society, 03-728 Warsaw, Poland
- Gabinet Lekarski, 03-728 Warsaw, Poland
- Centrum Medyczne PZU Zdrowie, 02-715 Warsaw, Poland
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Abstract
Digital health principles are starting to be evident in medicine. Orthopaedic trauma surgery is also being impacted —indirectly by all other improvements in the health ecosystem but also in particular efforts aimed at trauma surgery. Data acquisition is changing how evidence is gathered and utilized. Sensors are the pen and paper of the next wave of data acquisition. Sensors are gathering wide arrays of information to facilitate digital health relevance and adoption. Early adaption of sensor technology by the nonlegacy health environment is what has made sensor driven data acquisition so palatable to the normal health care system. As it applies to orthopaedic trauma, current sensor driven diagnostics and surveillance are nowhere near as developed as in the larger medical community. Digital health is being explored for health care records, data acquisition in diagnostics and rehabilitation, wellness to health care translation, intraoperative monitoring, surgical technique improvement, as well as some early-stage projects in long-term monitoring with implantable devices. The internet of things is the next digital wave that will undoubtedly affect medicine and orthopaedics. Internet of things (loT) devices are now being used to enable remote health monitoring and emergency notification systems. This article reviews current and future concepts in digital health that will impact trauma care.
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