Plastic Surgeons Nationwide Share Experience Regarding Telemedicine in Initial Patient Screening and Routine Postoperative Visits

Abstract

Summary: Physicians attempted to continue providing patient care through the SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) pandemic. Surgeons embraced telemedicine as patient evaluation transitioned from physical encounters to virtual appointments. However, there is a paucity in the literature on the utility of telemedicine within plastic surgery or how it can meet patients’ needs. A survey study was created to assess surgeons’ involvement and experience with telemedicine. Subjective experience was assessed on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree). This survey was distributed to the members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Data were collected and analyzed via RedCap. Of the total 177 plastic surgeons who responded, 139 (78.5%) surgeons reported the implementation of telemedicine during the pandemic. Plastic surgeons felt that they were able to establish rapport (3.9 ± 0.9), meet the goals of the encounter (3.6 ± 1.0), and efficiently evaluate patients (3.5 ± 1.2). Plastic surgeons reported their overall experience was between helpful and neutral (3.2 ± 1.3). Most plastic surgeons have implemented telemedicine in their practice. The majority of telemedicine use was for breast, cosmetic, and reconstructive patient care. Telemedicine was most frequently used for initial patient screening and routine postoperative visits. Surgeons plan to continue using telemedicine when appropriate for patient screening and routine or unexpected postoperative visits in the future. Many have found utility of telemedicine in providing patient care and it is likely that telemedicine will be a part of routine practice moving forward.

Plastic Surgery in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: Role of Telemedicine

“…17 However, the plastic surgeons in the study by Calderon et al reported that they will continue using telemedicine primarily for initial preoperative screening, routine postoperative follow-up, and unscheduled postoperative visits. 9 About half (46.3%) of our respondents worked in the private sector alone when elective procedures were paused, putting them under financial strain. Al Saud et al (2020) reported that 45.7% of the plastic surgeons in their study expressed their apprehension about the financial implications consequent to the restrictions.…”

“…Finally, personal security and patient privacy cannot be guaranteed with the expanded usage of technology. 2,4,9,[12][13][14][15][16] That said, we believe that telemedicine practice will only grow among plastic surgeons in the post-pandemic era. Our data show that 46.6% of those who did not incorporate telemedicine in their practice during lockdown and 90.6% of those who used telemedicine think that its practice will continue to be an asset.…”

“…Finally, personal security and patient privacy cannot be guaranteed with the expanded usage of technology. 2,4,9,12–16…”

“… 17 However, the plastic surgeons in the study by Calderon et al reported that they will continue using telemedicine primarily for initial preoperative screening, routine postoperative follow-up, and unscheduled postoperative visits. 9 …”

“…Several applications are mentioned in the literature, such as postoperative follow-up, wound management, flap monitoring, avoiding unnecessary clinic visits, cutting down on costs, quicker response time to referral requests, improved triage decisions, surgical education, and access to specialist care in remote areas. [4][5][6][7][8][9] COVID-19 markedly catalyzed the integration of telemedicine into plastic surgery practice. Salehi et al (2020) reported increased use of telemedicine among facial plastic surgeons in the United States in the aftermath of the pandemic.…”