Telemedicine use in orthopaedics: Experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
J Telemed Telecare
; 28(5): 373-379, 2022 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34541945
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
With a recent resurgence of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases globally, an increasing number of healthcare systems are adopting telemedicine as an alternative method of healthcare delivery in a bid to decrease disease transmission. Continued care of orthopaedic patients in the outpatient setting during the coronavirus disease of 2019 era can prove challenging without a systematic workflow, adequate logistics, and careful patient selection for teleconsultation. The aim of this paper is to describe our single-centre experience with the application of telemedicine in our orthopaedic practice, and its effectiveness in maintaining outpatient follow-up of orthopaedic patients.METHODOLOGY:
We describe our centre's telemedicine model of care for orthopaedic patients on the outpatient follow-up - which includes workforce assembly, population health and target patients, logistics and communications, and overall workflow - with roles and responsibilities of involved people portrayed in detail.RESULTS:
Feedback from both patients and orthopaedic surgeons reflected high satisfaction rates with care provided, noting minimal communication and clinical barriers compared to face-to-face consultations. Whilst not without limitations, our protocol allowed for rapid adoption of telemedicine in line with a national-wide initiative to digitize healthcare.DISCUSSION:
The implementation of teleconsultation services at our orthopaedic centre has provided an effective method of healthcare delivery while enforcing social distancing measures - which proves vital in combating the spread of COVID-19 and ushering in a new normal.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Ortopedia
/
Telemedicina
/
COVID-19
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article