Rapid triage and transition to telehealth for heart transplant patients in the COVID-19 pandemic setting.
J Telemed Telecare
; : 1357633X231151714, 2023 Feb 15.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2251351
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, a rapid uptake of telehealth services was instituted with the aim of reducing the spread of disease to vulnerable patient populations including heart transplant recipients.METHODS:
Single-center, cohort study of all heart transplant patients seen by our institution's transplant program during the first 6 weeks of transition from in-person consultation to telehealth (23 March - 5 June 2020).RESULTS:
Face-to-face consultation allocation strongly favored patients in the early post-operative period (34 vs. 242 weeks post-transplant; p < 0.001). Telehealth consultation dramatically reduced patient travel and wait times (80â min per visit saved in telehealth patients). No apparent excess re-hospitalization or mortality was seen in telehealth patients.CONCLUSIONS:
With appropriate triage, telehealth was feasible in heart transplant recipients, with videoconferencing being the preferred modality. Patients seen face-to-face were those triaged to be higher acuity based on time since transplant and overall clinical status. These patients have the expected higher rates of hospital re-admission, and therefore should continue to be seen in person.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
J Telemed Telecare
Journal subject:
Medical Informatics
/
Health Services
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
1357633X231151714
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