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Background Telephones, internet-connected devices (phablets, personal computers), chat platforms, and mobile apps (eg, Skype, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp) can be exploited for telemedicine applications. WhatsApp and similar apps are also widely used to facilitate clinical communication between physicians. Moreover, WhatsApp is used by emergency department (ED) physicians and consulting physicians to exchange medical information during ED consultations. This platform is regarded as a useful app in the consultation of dermatological and orthopedic cases. Preventing overcrowding in the ED is key to reducing the risk of disease transmission, and teleconsulting practice is thought to be effective in the diagnosis, treatment, and reduction of transmission risk of disease, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Video consultation is highly recommended in some countries on the grounds that it is likely to reduce the risk of transmission. WhatsApp-like apps are among the video consultation platforms that are assumed to reduce the risk of contamination by minimizing patient-physician contact. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of WhatsApp video consultation on patient admission and discharge times in comparison to bedside consultation in the evaluation of potential patients with COVID-19 visiting a COVID-19 outpatient clinic during the pandemic. Methods Patients who presented to the ED COVID-19 outpatient clinic between March 11 and May 31, 2020, and for whom an infectious disease specialist was consulted (via WhatsApp or at bedside) were included in the study in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eventually, 54 patients whose consultations were performed via WhatsApp and 90 patients whose consultations were performed at bedside were included in our study. Results The median length of stay in the ED of discharged patients amounted to 103 minutes (IQR 85-147.75) in the WhatsApp group and 196 minutes (IQR 141-215) in the bedside group. In this regard, the length of stay in the ED was found to be significantly shorter in the WhatsApp group than in the bedside group (P<.001). Among the consulted and discharged patients, 1 patient in each group tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction test and thus was readmitted and hospitalized (P=.62). The median length of stay of the inpatients in the ED was found to be 116.5 minutes (IQR 85.5-145.5) in the WhatsApp group and 132 minutes (IQR 102-168) in the bedside group. The statistical analysis of this time difference revealed that the length of stay in the ED was significantly shorter for patients in the WhatsApp group than in the bedside group (P=.04). Conclusions Consultation via WhatsApp reduces both contact time with patients with COVID-19 and the number of medical staff contacting the patients, which contributes greatly to reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. WhatsApp consultation may prove useful in clinical decision making as well as in shortening process times. Moreover, it does not result in a decreased accuracy rate. The shortened discharge and hospitalization timespans also decreased the length of stay in the ED, which can have an impact on minimizing ED crowding. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04645563; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04645563.

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Bu çalışmada 2016-2018 yılları arasında Kars ilindeki intihar olgularının yöntem, neden ve yaşama durumlarına göre değerlendirilmesi amaçlandı. Retrospektif desende yürütülen araştırmanın örneklemini 2016-2018 yılları arasında 22 intihar ve 146 intihar girişimi olmak üzere 168 intihar olgusu oluşturdu. Araştırma verileri Veri Toplama Formu aracılığı ile toplandı. İntihar ve intihar girişiminde bulunanların %62,5'i kadın (n=105), %37,5'i erkektir (n = 63). İntiharların 35 yaş ve üzeri (%50), ilkokulortaokul mezunu (%72,7) ve yaz mevsiminde olması (%40,9) dikkati çekmektedir. Olguların intihar nedeni ile eğitim durumu ve yaşama durumu arasında; intihar yöntemi ile cinsiyet, eğitim durumu ve yaşama durumu arasında; yaşama durumu ile yaş grubu ve eğitim durumu arasında istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı bir ilişki belirlendi. Sonuç olarak intihar, şiddet içeren yöntemlerle, bireysel nedenlerle, düşük eğitim düzeyi ve 35 ve üzeri yaş ile ilişkilidir. İntihar girişimi, şiddet içermeyen yöntemler ile ilişkilidir.