Department of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Department of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
World Neurosurg. 2022 Jul;163:e83-e88. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2022.03.037. Epub 2022 Mar 16.
Telemedicine use skyrocketed in March 2020 on implementation of shelter-in-place measures owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Within the past year, shelter-in-place measures were lifted and the COVID-19 vaccine was released, resulting in many neurosurgeons returning to in-person outpatient clinics. This study aimed to determine the extent of usage of telemedicine in neurosurgery 1 year into the COVID-19 pandemic.
A retrospective cohort study of patients who received neurosurgical care at a single institution from February 1 to April 18 of the years 2020 and 2021 was performed. The inclusion criteria were met by 11,592 patients. During the 2 study periods, 1465 patients underwent surgery, 7083 were seen in clinic via an in-person meeting, and 3044 were assessed via telemedicine.
At 1 year after the COVID-19 outbreak, telemedicine usage was at 81.3% of the initial volume on implementation of shelter-in-place measures. In-person outpatient visits increased 40.2% from the early pandemic volume. Among the 4 neurosurgery divisions, telemedicine usage remained high in tumor and functional neurosurgery, significantly increased in vascular neurosurgery, and decreased in spine neurosurgery.
Telemedicine use in neurosurgery clinics continues 1 year after the COVID-19 outbreak. Even after the lifting of shelter-in-place measures, many neurosurgeons still use telemedicine, while the operative volume remains stable. Owing to the limited physical examination that can be performed via current telemedicine platforms, telemedicine use in spine neurosurgery is lower than peak use during the early pandemic, while use has remained high among tumor, vascular, and functional neurosurgery.
由于 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行，2020 年 3 月实施就地避难措施后，远程医疗的使用猛增。在过去的一年中，就地避难措施已经取消，COVID-19 疫苗已经发布，导致许多神经外科医生返回门诊。本研究旨在确定 COVID-19 大流行一年后神经外科远程医疗的使用程度。
对一家机构在 2020 年 2 月 1 日至 4 月 18 日期间接受神经外科治疗的患者进行了回顾性队列研究。纳入标准为 11592 名患者。在 2 个研究期间，有 1465 名患者接受了手术，7083 名患者通过面对面会议在诊所就诊，3044 名患者通过远程医疗进行了评估。
在 COVID-19 爆发一年后，远程医疗的使用量达到了实施就地避难措施时初始量的 81.3%。面对面门诊就诊量比大流行早期增加了 40.2%。在 4 个神经外科科室中，肿瘤和功能神经外科的远程医疗使用率仍然很高，血管神经外科的使用率显著增加，脊柱神经外科的使用率则有所下降。
COVID-19 爆发一年后，神经外科诊所继续使用远程医疗。即使在取消就地避难措施后，许多神经外科医生仍然使用远程医疗，而手术量保持稳定。由于目前的远程医疗平台只能进行有限的体格检查，因此脊柱神经外科的远程医疗使用率低于大流行早期的峰值，而肿瘤、血管和功能神经外科的使用率仍然很高。
