Telephone consultation service in orthopedics during COVID-19 pandemic

Antecedentes y objetivo

Durante la pandemia COVID-19, la actividad de los servicios quirúrgicos se ha visto obligada a adaptarse y transformarse. La telemedicina se está implantando como nunca antes en esta nueva situación, en la que los pacientes están confinados y los profesionales sanitarios presentan riesgo de infectarse.

El objetivo es mostrar que una reestructuración combinada telemática y presencial de las visitas, permite asegurar la asistencia médica, garantizando la protección del personal sanitario y de los pacientes.

Material y método

Estudio descriptivo observacional sobre el seguimiento de pacientes durante la pandemia por COVID-19, combinando la consulta telefónica con la presencial.

Resultados

Se realizaron un total de 5.031 llamadas telefónicas, diferenciando entre derivaciones, visitas de atención primaria especializada y consulta externa hospitalaria.

Se registraron como: efectivas, tributarias de visita presencial y no se logra contacto telefónico. Y las dividimos en dos grupos: resueltas y no resueltas.

Del total de visitas no presenciales telefónicas fueron efectivas un 53%.

Conclusiones

La medicina telemática es una opción factible en un servicio de traumatología, y de manera adecuada será una opción interesante de mantener tras la pandemia.

Futuras líneas de investigación deberían ser abiertas para mejorar la capacidad de resolución de este sistema, analizar su relación coste-efectividad y subsanar los conflictos legales que pudieran existir.

[Functional urology during COVID-19: Recommendations during de-escalation.]

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all surgical activity that was not life threatening was cancelled , as well as most face-to-face consultations. Currently the beginning of the de-escalation phases that will led us to a new normal, forces us to establish some degree of priority in the interventions as well as in the medical consultations. Our objective is to establish some recommendation on Functional Urology office visits and surgical interventions that serve as a tool to facilitate decision-making. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Experts in Functional Urology from different autonomous communities of Spain were contacted to design a strategy to reorganize the activity of both, diagnosis and treatment. A modified nominal group technique has been used due to the extraordinary restrictions of assembly and mobility during the COVID pandemic. The first signer (EMC) made the first draft with the measures adopted and the strategy to be followed during the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal was sent to the rest of the authors, in order to unify criteria and experiences to reach a quick consensus on the relative priority of the different activities, problems and solutions. A final version was approved by all authors May 27, 2020. RESULTS: Tables of recommendation have been prepared for outpatient consultation, surgical and technical interventions, according to de-escalation phases proposed by the Spanish Associations of Surgeons. CONCLUSIONS: The change that COVID-19 Pandemich as involved in our clinical practice force us to seek alternative methods to treat our patients, some of which may already be established. Mean while, a consensusin decision making is necessary. Documents such as the current one, are intended to guide the management of patients with urological functional pathology in exceptional situations. Logically, it should be adapted to material and human availability, and to the idiosyncrasy of each Urology service.

Side effects and practices to improve management of type 2 diabetes mellitus from the viewpoint of patient experience and health care management. A narrative review

INTRODUCTION

There is an alarming increase in the number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This increase is causing personal, family, social, economic, and political problems. The aim of this article is to review the side effects of treatments, the complications suffered by patients, and the practices to improve management of this disease from the viewpoint of the experience of patients and health care management.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A narrative review was conducted of studies on type 2 diabetes mellitus published in English and Spanish indexed in PubMed, Science Direct, Cinahl, MedLine, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and Google academic. A total of 1,118 articles were found, 42 of which referred to the objectives of the review and met the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The side effects and complications experienced by patients and their perception that they do not receive adequate information, together with poor satisfaction, lead to non-adherence to treatment, which impairs patient health and increases health care costs. The proposals in the reviewed studies guide the actions to improve treatment adherence and, thus, quality of life of patients, to decrease side effects and mortality and, therefore, the costs associated to type 2 diabetes mellitus through: 1) quick and easy access to medical care, 2) quality health education, and 3) participation of patients in the decisions about their treatment and in self-management of their disease to make minimum changes in their lifestyles.