System-Wide Accelerated Implementation of Telemedicine in Response to COVID-19: Mixed Methods Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted medical practice, telemedicine emerged as an alternative to outpatient visits. However, it is not known how patients and physicians responded to an accelerated implementation of this model of medical care. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to report the system-wide accelerated implementation of telemedicine, compare patient satisfaction between telemedicine and in-person visits, and report provider perceptions. METHODS: This study was conducted at the UC Christus Health Network, a large private academic health network in Santiago, Chile. The satisfaction of patients receiving telemedicine care in March and April 2020 was compared to those receiving in-person care during the same period (concurrent control group) as well as in March and April 2019 (retrospective control group). Patient satisfaction with in-person care was measured using the Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey. Patient satisfaction with telemedicine was assessed with an online survey assessing similar domains. Providers rated their satisfaction and responded to open-ended questions assessing challenges, strategies used to address challenges, the diagnostic process, treatment, and the patient-provider relationship. RESULTS: A total of 3962 patients receiving telemedicine, 1187 patients from the concurrent control group, and 1848 patients from the retrospective control group completed the surveys. Satisfaction was very high with both telemedicine and in-person services. Overall, 263 physicians from over 41 specialties responded to the survey. During telemedicine visits, most providers felt their clinical skills were challenged (61.8%). Female providers felt more challenged than male providers (70.7% versus 50.9%, P=.002). Surgeons, obstetricians, and gynecologists felt their clinical skills were challenged the least, compared to providers from nonsurgical specialties (P<.001). Challenges related to the delivery modality, diagnostic process, and patient-provider relationship differed by provider specialty (P=.046, P<.001, and P=.02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic produced high patient and provider satisfaction. Specialty groups perceived the impact of this new mode of clinical practice differently.

Intraoperative Frozen Section of the Prostate Reduces the Risk of Positive Margin Whilst Ensuring Nerve Sparing in Patients with Intermediate and High-Risk Prostate Cancer Undergoing Robotic Radical Prostatectomy: First Reported UK Series.

INTRODUCTION: Nerve sparing during robotic radical prostatectomy (RRP) considerably improves post-operative potency and urinary continence as long as it does not compromise oncological outcome. Excision of the neurovascular bundle (NVB) is often performed in patients with intermediate and high risk prostate cancer to reduce the risk of positive surgical margin raising the risk of urinary incontinence and impotence. We present the first UK series outcomes of such patients who underwent an intra-operative frozen section (IOFS) analysis of the prostate during RRP allowing nerve sparing. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively analysed the data of 40 patients who underwent an IOFS during RRP at our centre from November 2012 until November 2014. Our IOFS technique involved whole lateral circumferential analysis of the prostate during RRP with the corresponding neurovascular tissue. An intrafascial nerve spare was performed and the specimen was removed intra-operatively via an extension of the 12 mm Autosuture™ camera port without undocking robotic arms. It was then painted by the surgeon and sprayed with "Ink Aid" prior to frozen section analysis. The corresponding NVB was excised if the histopathologist found a positive surgical margin on frozen section. RESULTS: Median time to extract the specimen, wound closure and re-establishment of pneumoperitoneum increased the operative time by 8 min. Median blood loss for IOFS was 130 ± 97 ml vs. 90 ± 72 ml (p = NS). IOFS was not associated with major complications or with blood transfusion. PSM decreased significantly from non-IOFS RRP series of 28.7 to 7.8% (p < 0.05). Intra-operative PSM on the prostate specimen was seen in 8/40 margin analysis (20%) leading to an excision of the contra-lateral nerve bundle. On analysis of the nerve bundle on a paraffin embedded block, 6 nerve bundle matched tumor on the specimen whereas 2 NVB were retrospectively removed unnecessarily in our series. All 40 patients have undetectable PSA at a mean follow up of 21.2 months (SD 7.79). Functional data at 18 months confirms a reduction in the urinary incontinence from 37% in the IOFS group vs 57% in the non-IOFS group (p = NS). IOFS technique has resulted in a significant increase in intravesical nerve sparing in both T2/T3 patients with intermediate and high risk prostate cancer when appropriately counselled and selected (T2 from 100% in the IOFS group versus 67% and T3 from 100% in the IOFS group to 42%) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Introduction of the IOFS analysis during intrafascial nerve spare RRP has reduced PSM and the rate of urinary incontinence.

Difficult diagnosis: internal herniation of the terminal ileum through the foramen of Winslow into the lesser sac.

Herniation of the bowel through the foramen of Winslow is rare and accounts for 8% of all internal herniae. It typically presents clinically and biochemically as small bowel obstruction. It carries a high mortality as diagnosis is often delayed, despite bowel strangulation, as clinical signs are not typical and imaging may not be diagnostic. In the case presented here, a healthy 25-year-old man was admitted with sudden onset right-sided abdominal and back pain. He denied vomiting, and had opened his bowels. His bloods were normal and venous lactate <2; CT was not diagnostic. At laparotomy, he was found to have internal herniation of the terminal ileum through the foramen of Winslow, which was gangrenous and required resection. This paper discusses the difficulty in diagnosing internal herniation and poses the question as to whether we are too dependent on CT findings in the setting of an acute abdomen.