Recognizing the Benefit of Telemedicine Before and After COVID-19: A Survey of Pediatric Surgery Providers.
J Surg Res
; 267: 274-283, 2021 11.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1240472
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine to evaluate pediatric surgery patients was uncommon. Due in part to restrictions imposed to mitigate the spread of the virus, the use of telemedicine within pediatric surgery has significantly expanded.METHODS:
Prior to the use of telemedicine within surgery divisions at our institution, pediatric surgeons were surveyed to determine their perspectives on the use of telemedicine. Following the expanded use of telemedicine in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a follow up survey was distributed to determine the impact of telemedicine and the perceived benefits and barriers of continuing its use going forward.RESULTS:
The pre-COVID survey was completed by 37 surgeons and the post-COVID survey by 36 surgeons and advanced practice providers across 10 pediatric surgical divisions. General surgeons were the most represented division for both the pre- (25%) and post-COVID (33.3%) survey. Less than 25% of providers reported use of telemedicine at any point in their career prior to COVID-19; but following the expanded use of telemedicine 95% of respondents reported interest in continuing its use. After expansion, 25% of respondents were concerned with the possibility of inaccurate diagnoses when using telemedicine compared to nearly 50% prior to expanded use.CONCLUSION:
Following the expanded use of telemedicine within pediatric surgery, there was a decrease in the concern for inaccurate diagnoses and a near uniform desire to continue its use. Going forward, it will be imperative for pediatric surgeons to take an active role in creating a process for implementing telemedicine that best fits their needs and the needs of their patients and patients' families.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pediatrics
/
Telemedicine
/
Surgeons
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Surg Res
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS