The new ‘normal’: Rapid adoption of telemedicine in orthopaedics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Highlights Patients, when asked if they would complete another telemedicine encounter again, 92.9% (278/299) of patients reported they would. Physicians reported high satisfaction, and that 78.4% of the time a telemedicine encounter was successful in replacing an in-person visit. During our study period, over 600 telemedicine encounters were performed with extremely favourable ratings from patients and physicians.

Maintaining education, research and innovation in orthopaedic surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of virtual platforms. From presential to virtual, front and side effects of the pandemic

“…The fundamental change in the reimbursement of these online consultations increased the communication as shown with the higher numbers of video / telephone visits measured from March to May 2020 in a study. In the author's opinion, the use of telemedicine will continue in the post-pandemic era, although we also agree that telemedicine facilitates the care but does not appear to replace inperson clinics [14].…”

Shoulder assessment by smartphone: a valid alternative for times of social distancing

“…However, these advantages can only be realized when the process of assessment by video results in similar outcomes to the standard of care. In recently published study by Rizzi et al [ 19 ], patients and orthopaedic surgeons documented high levels of satisfaction with telehealth encounters during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Telemedicine does not appear to be a replacement for all in-person clinic encounters, however, when used in the appropriate context demonstrated favourable results.…”

“…Telemedicine, the means of providing medical services to individuals in remote locations by way of video examination (VE) has been proposed as a means to shorten waiting periods, reduce medical care expenditures, and facilitate the delivery of medical services to populations with more limited access [1,2]. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic has dramatically highlighted another unique advantage of VE, that is, the ability to allow timely delivery of valuable medical services while maintaining social distancing policies and minimizing the risk of widespread contamination of infectious diseases.…”

Telemedicine in an Outpatient Arthroplasty Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Early Lessons from New York City

“…Several orthopedic groups have recently described their early experiences with telemedicine programs during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 7 – 9 , 11 , 21 ]. Of note, most of these reported orthopedic providers’ perceptions of telemedicine, while few [ 7 , 19 , 21 ] reported patients’ perspectives. In a study of a postoperative upper extremity telemedicine program during the pandemic, Grandizio et al [ 7 ] found that telemedicine resulted in high levels of patient satisfaction, decreased visit times, and decreased travel burdens compared with conventional in-person appointments.…”

“…Telemedicine platforms—previously underused in the orthopedic community [ 16 ]—have allowed orthopedic providers to continue seeing patients while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Preliminary reports from new or expanded telemedicine practices during the pandemic in fracture clinics [ 21 ], outpatient rehabilitation centers [ 17 ], upper extremity postoperative clinics [ 7 ], and general orthopedic clinics [ 13 , 19 ] have highlighted several advantages of telemedicine, as well as challenges associated with the accelerated adoption of telemedicine platforms. Total joint arthroplasty represents a unique challenge in the context of telemedicine, as patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty are often older, have comorbidities that put them at higher risk of complications related to COVID-19, and may be more reluctant to try telehealth given concerns that it may be too technical and confusing [ 1 , 14 , 23 ].…”