The Center for Surgical Outcomes Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
J Pediatr Surg. 2021 Aug;56(8):1305-1311. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.02.018. Epub 2021 Feb 19.
Prior to COVID-19, the use of telemedicine within pediatric surgery was uncommon. To curb the spread of the virus many institutions restricted non-emergent clinic appointments, resulting in an increase in telemedicine use. We examined the value of telemedicine for patients presenting to a pediatric surgery clinic before and after COVID-19 METHODS: Perspectives and the potential value of telemedicine were assessed by surveying patients or caregivers of patients being evaluated by a general pediatric surgeon in-person prior to COVID-19 and by patients or caregivers of patients who completed a telemedicine appointment with a pediatric surgical provider during the COVID-19 period.
The pre-COVID survey was completed by 57 respondents and the post-COVID survey by 123. Most respondents were white and were caregivers 31-40 years of age. Prior to COVID-19, only 26% were familiar with telemedicine, 25% reported traveling more than 100 miles and >50% traveled more than 40 miles for their appointment. More than 25% estimated additional travel costs of at least $30 and in 43% of households, at least one adult had to miss time from work. Following a telemedicine appointment during the COVID-19 period, 76% reported the care received as excellent, 86% were very satisfied with their care, 87% reported the appointment was less stressful for their child than an in-person appointment, and 57% would choose a telemedicine appointment in the future.
For families seeking an alternative to the in-person encounter, telemedicine can provide added value over the traditional in-person encounter by reducing the burden of travel without compromising the quality of care. Telemedicine should be viewed as a viable option for pediatric surgery patients and future research directed toward optimizing the experience for patients and providers.
III.
在 COVID-19 之前，小儿外科很少使用远程医疗。为了遏制病毒的传播，许多机构限制了非紧急门诊预约，导致远程医疗的使用增加。我们研究了 COVID-19 前后小儿外科诊所患者使用远程医疗的价值。
在 COVID-19 之前，通过对正在接受普通小儿外科医生亲自评估的患者或患者的照顾者进行调查，以及在 COVID-19 期间通过与小儿外科提供者进行远程医疗预约的患者或患者的照顾者进行调查，评估了远程医疗的观点和潜在价值。
COVID-19 之前的调查由 57 名受访者完成，COVID-19 之后的调查由 123 名受访者完成。大多数受访者是白人，年龄在 31-40 岁之间，是照顾者。在 COVID-19 之前，只有 26%的人熟悉远程医疗，25%的人报告说旅行超过 100 英里，超过 50%的人旅行超过 40 英里去预约。超过 25%的人估计额外旅行费用至少为 30 美元，在 43%的家庭中，至少有一名成年人必须请假。在 COVID-19 期间进行远程医疗预约后，76%的人报告说他们得到的护理非常好，86%的人对他们的护理非常满意，87%的人报告说与面对面预约相比，预约对他们的孩子压力更小，57%的人将来会选择远程医疗预约。
对于寻求替代面对面就诊的家庭来说，远程医疗可以通过减轻旅行负担而不影响护理质量，为他们提供额外的价值。远程医疗应被视为小儿外科患者的一种可行选择，未来的研究应致力于为患者和提供者优化体验。
III 级。
