Use of telemedicine by practising allergists before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A survey among members of the Association of German Allergists (AeDA).

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to both inpatient and outpatient care. In order to maintain good care under necessary contact restrictions, especially in the outpatient sector, the use of telemedical applications was demanded and promoted. The exploratory survey among members of the Association of German Allergists (AeDA) was intended to show how these were received among allergists in private practice. METHODS: The survey was restricted to actively practising members of the AeDA who had previously given their consent to receive such surveys (n = 437). They were invited by email to participate in a survey on the topic of "Telemedicine in everyday clinical practice in allergology". The survey included quantitative and qualitative questions on the use of telemedicine services before and during the pandemic and was conducted anonymously on the SoSci Survey platform. Participation was possible in the period from June to August 2020. RESULTS: In all, 76 specialists with additional qualification in allergology took part in the survey. Of these, 71 completed the full questionnaire. Before the start of the pandemic-related contact restrictions, 46.5% (33/71) stated that they had used telemedicine in their clinical practice. This number increased to 73.2% (52/71) after 31 January 2020. The largest increase (4.3% vs. 15.6%) was seen in the area of video consultations. Furthermore, 43/76 participants can imagine integrating telemedicine services into their daily clinical routine in the future. CONCLUSION: The use of telemedical services, especially video consultations, increased significantly during the SARS-CoV­2 pandemic in Germany. The majority of respondents perceive the implementation as positive and can imagine continuing to use telemedical methods after the end of the pandemic.