Division of Rheumatology, University and IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia.
Associazione Lombarda Malati Reumatici, ALOMAR, c/o Hospital G. Pini-CTO.
Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021 Jan 5;60(1):366-370. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaa554.
The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has imposed considerable restrictions on people's mobility, which affects the referral of chronically ill patients to health care structures. The emerging need for alternative ways to follow these patients up is leading to a wide adoption of telemedicine. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of this approach for our cohort of patients with CTDs, investigating their attitude to adopting telemedicine, even after the pandemic.
We conducted a telephonic survey among consecutive patients referred to our CTD outpatients' clinic, evaluating their capability and propensity for adopting telemedicine and whether they would prefer it over face-to-face evaluation. Demographical and occupational factors were also collected, and their influence on the answers has been evaluated by a multivariate analysis.
A total of 175 patients answered our survey (M/F = 28/147), with a median age of 62.5 years [interquartile range (IQR) 53-73]. About 80% of patients owned a device allowing video-calls, and 86% would be able to perform a tele-visit, either alone (50%) or with the help of a relative (36%). Telemedicine was considered acceptable by 78% of patients and 61% would prefer it. Distance from the hospital and patient's educational level were the strongest predictive factors for the acceptance of telemedicine (P < 0.05), whereas age only affected the mastering of required skills (P < 0.001).
Telemedicine is a viable approach to be considered for routine follow-up of chronic patients, even beyond the pandemic. Our data showed that older patients would be willing to use this approach, although a proper guide for them would be required.
SARS-CoV-2 疫情大流行极大地限制了人们的流动性，这影响了慢性病患者向医疗机构的转诊。为了满足对这些患者进行后续治疗的迫切需求，远程医疗开始广泛应用。我们旨在评估这种方法在我们的结缔组织疾病（CTD）患者中的可行性，调查他们对采用远程医疗的态度，即使在大流行之后。
我们对连续就诊于我们的 CTD 门诊的患者进行了电话调查，评估他们采用远程医疗的能力和意愿，以及他们是否更愿意进行面对面评估。还收集了人口统计学和职业因素，并通过多变量分析评估了这些因素对回答的影响。
共有 175 名患者回答了我们的调查（男/女=28/147），中位年龄为 62.5 岁[四分位距（IQR）为 53-73]。约 80%的患者拥有允许视频通话的设备，86%的患者能够进行远程就诊，要么独自（50%），要么在亲属的帮助下（36%）。78%的患者认为远程医疗可以接受，61%的患者更喜欢远程医疗。距离医院的远近和患者的教育水平是接受远程医疗的最强预测因素（P < 0.05），而年龄仅影响所需技能的掌握（P < 0.001）。
远程医疗是一种可行的方法，可以考虑用于慢性病患者的常规随访，甚至在大流行之后。我们的数据表明，尽管需要为他们提供适当的指导，但年龄较大的患者愿意使用这种方法。
