Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Surgery, Endocare Hospital, Suryaraopeta, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Surgery, Baby Memorial Hospital, Calicut, Kerala, India.
Ann Afr Med. 2022 Apr-Jun;21(2):132-135. doi: 10.4103/aam.aam_88_20.
As the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues its pandemic surge globally, the attention toward the treatment of non-COVID diseases has become difficult. Software-based systems and social media platforms could provide alternatives for ensuring regular health-care non-COVID diseases. In this context, we evaluated our own experience with virtual consultation (VC) for the management of endocrine surgical patients during the current COVID pandemic.
This prospective study was conducted in the endocrine surgery department spanning 4 months from April to July 2020. We employed WhatsApp-based group video conferencing for VC with both new and follow-up outpatients. We evaluated the satisfaction quotient of patients, regarding the three types of consultations (no consultation, VC, and direct consultation) on an ordinal scale of three modes of consultation.
Virtual consultation was performed with 102 new and 285 follow-up patients. Goiters, clinical findings, and wounds/scars (in post-operative cases) were evaluated virtually. Dosage of thyroxine replacement, calcium supplementation, and other medications was prescribed based on findings and history. Patients who needed surgery (25/102 cases) were given appropriate appointment. More than 82% of the patients in both groups preferred VC during this COVID pandemic.
More than 82% of both new and follow-up patients preferred VC over direct or no consultation during this COVID pandemic. Our findings suggest that VC through social media platforms is capable of ensuring appropriate treatment and follow-up for endocrine diseases.
随着 2019 年新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）在全球范围内持续流行，人们对非 COVID 疾病的治疗关注度变得更加困难。基于软件的系统和社交媒体平台可以为常规医疗非 COVID 疾病的治疗提供替代方案。在此背景下，我们评估了在当前 COVID 大流行期间，我们使用虚拟咨询（VC）管理内分泌外科患者的经验。
这项前瞻性研究在 2020 年 4 月至 7 月的 4 个月内在内分泌外科部门进行。我们使用基于 WhatsApp 的群组视频会议进行 VC，对象包括新患者和随访患者。我们采用三等级量表评估患者对三种咨询方式（无咨询、VC 和直接咨询）的满意度。
对 102 名新患者和 285 名随访患者进行了 VC。通过虚拟方式评估甲状腺肿、临床发现和伤口/疤痕（在术后病例中）。根据发现和病史来开处甲状腺素替代治疗、钙补充剂和其他药物的剂量。需要手术的患者（25/102 例）给予了适当的预约。在这一 COVID 大流行期间，两组中超过 82%的患者更喜欢 VC。
在这一 COVID 大流行期间，新患者和随访患者中超过 82%的患者更喜欢 VC 而不是直接或无咨询。我们的发现表明，通过社交媒体平台进行 VC 能够确保对内分泌疾病进行适当的治疗和随访。
