From the Texas Back Institute, Plano, Texas.
Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2020 Dec;99(12):1079-1085. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001600.
The aim of the study was to investigate the implementation and patient satisfaction of telemedicine visits in a physical medicine and rehabilitation spine practice during COVID-19.
This is a prospective cohort study.
Of 172 patients, 97.6% were very satisfied or satisfied (83.7% of the patients were very satisfied) with their telemedicine appointment. In 44.4% of the cases, the physical medicine and rehabilitation physician prescribed medication to the patient, and in 21.6% of the cases, either an injection or radiofrequency ablation was ordered. Most patients (87%) did not have any issues during their encounter. Lastly, 64.5% of the patients preferred telemedicine over in-person appointments, whereas 56.1% of the patients who are 60 yrs and older responded the same. A total of 67.4% of those who had a follow-up visit would choose telemedicine over in-person.
The results of this study show that telemedicine can provide very effective and satisfactory care in a physical medicine and rehabilitation spine practice. This was especially notable with follow-up visits where imaging and treatment plan can easily be discussed over telemedicine. Stay-at-home orders and improved reimbursement during the COVID-19 pandemic have spurred adoption of telemedicine with high patient satisfaction. We hope that physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians will be able to continue expanding patient access in the postpandemic world.
本研究旨在调查在 COVID-19 期间，物理医学与康复脊柱实践中远程医疗访问的实施情况和患者满意度。
这是一项前瞻性队列研究。
在 172 名患者中，97.6%（83.7%的患者非常满意）对远程医疗预约非常满意或满意。在 44.4%的情况下，物理医学与康复医师为患者开了药物，在 21.6%的情况下，开了注射或射频消融。大多数患者（87%）在就诊过程中没有任何问题。最后，64.5%的患者更喜欢远程医疗预约而非面对面预约，而 60 岁及以上的患者中有 56.1%的人做出了同样的回答。在需要随访的患者中，有 67.4%的人会选择远程医疗而非面对面就诊。
这项研究的结果表明，远程医疗可以在物理医学与康复脊柱实践中提供非常有效和满意的护理。这在随访中尤为明显，因为可以通过远程医疗轻松讨论成像和治疗计划。在 COVID-19 大流行期间，居家令和报销的改善推动了远程医疗的采用，患者满意度很高。我们希望物理医学与康复医师能够继续在大流行后扩大患者的就诊机会。
