Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University of Science & Technology, Mpilo Hospital, Vera Road, Mzilikazi, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Zimbabwe.
Pan Afr Med J. 2020 Jun 24;35(Suppl 2):89. doi: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2020.35.2.23675. eCollection 2020.
Telemedicine is an ideal innovation to achieve social distancing, one of the mitigating strategies during the current Covid 19 pandemic. Zimbabwe effected a 21day lockdown from the 2nd of March 2020 to control the spread of the Covid 19 infection. Free teleconsultation service was provided by the researcher. We sought to determine the effectiveness and acceptability of telemedicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology during this period.
We conducted a retrospective and prospective analysis of the messages from the WhatsApp consults for demographic characteristics, type and classification of condition, level of urgency, ability to make a diagnosis and the type of recommendation offered. A follow-up message was used to assess effectiveness of the medical advice given and patient satisfaction.
Of 109 women who used telemedicine 67consented. The average age was 31 years and most of the women were married, had university or tertiary college education and were urban dwellers. Forty-nine (73.1%) cases were Gynaecological consults and 51 (76.1%) were elective cases. Twenty (29.9%) and fourteen (20.8%) cases needed elective and urgent hospital referral respectively. A diagnosis was made in 33(49.3%) of the cases from the available information during the consult. Thirty-five (52.2%) cases had recovered whilst 27(40.3%) cases were still waiting further assessments at the end of the follow up. The patients were satisfied with the service in 94% of the cases.
Telemedicine services provided during the lockdown period were effective and acceptable in managing women with Obstetrics and Gynaecological conditions. Telemedicine should be rolled out during this pandemic to limit risk to patients and healthcare providers.
远程医疗是实现社会隔离的理想创新手段，这是当前新冠疫情期间的一种缓解策略。津巴布韦从 2020 年 3 月 2 日起实行 21 天封锁，以控制新冠病毒的传播。研究人员提供了免费的远程咨询服务。我们试图确定在此期间远程医疗在妇产科中的有效性和可接受性。
我们对 WhatsApp 咨询的信息进行了回顾性和前瞻性分析，以了解患者的人口统计学特征、病情类型和分类、紧急程度、诊断能力以及提供的建议类型。我们还使用后续信息来评估所提供的医疗建议的效果和患者满意度。
共有 109 名女性使用了远程医疗，其中 67 人同意参与。平均年龄为 31 岁，大多数女性已婚，拥有大学或高等院校教育背景，居住在城市。49 例（73.1%）为妇科咨询，51 例（76.1%）为择期病例。20 例（29.9%）和 14 例（20.8%）分别需要择期和紧急医院转诊。在咨询过程中，根据现有信息做出了 33 例（49.3%）的诊断。35 例（52.2%）患者已经康复，而 27 例（40.3%）患者在随访结束时仍在等待进一步评估。94%的患者对服务感到满意。
在封锁期间提供的远程医疗服务在管理妇产科患者方面是有效且可接受的。在本次疫情期间，应推出远程医疗服务，以限制患者和医疗保健提供者的风险。
