Comparing telehealth to traditional office visits for patient management in the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in a respiratory assessment clinic.
J Telemed Telecare
; 29(5): 374-381, 2023 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33525950
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The aim of this study was to examine whether telehealth is as safe and effective as traditional office visits in assessing and treating patients with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.METHODS:
In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the primary outcome was any 14-day related healthcare follow-up event(s). Secondary outcomes were the type of 14-day related follow-up event including hospital admission, emergency department visit, office visit, telehealth visit and/or multiple follow-up visits. Individual visit types were identified due to the significant difference between a hospital admission and an office visit. Logistic regressions were done using the predictors of visit type, age, gender and comorbidities and the primary outcome variable of a related follow-up visit and then by follow-up type hospital admission, emergency department visit or office visit.RESULTS:
Of 1305 visits, median age was 42.3 years and 65.8% were female. Traditional office visits accounted for 741 (56.8%) of initial visits, while 564 (43.2%) visits occurred via telehealth. One hundred and forty-six (25.9%) of the telehealth visits resulted in a 14-day related healthcare follow-up visit versus 161 (21.7%) of the office visits (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.22, 95% CI 0.94-1.58).DISCUSSION:
There was no significant difference in related follow-ups of initial telehealth visits compared to initial office visits including no significant difference in hospital admission or emergency department visits. These findings suggest that based on follow up healthcare utilization, telehealth may be a safe and effective option in assessing and treating patients with respiratory symptoms as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Telemedicina
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Telemed Telecare
Assunto da revista:
INFORMATICA MEDICA
/
SERVICOS DE SAUDE
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos