Carolinas Medical Center, Department of Surgery, 1000 Blythe Blvd, Charlotte, NC, 28204, USA.
Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE), Atrium Health, 1300 Scott Avenue, Charlotte, NC, USA.
Am J Surg. 2023 Aug;226(2):163-169. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2023.03.007. Epub 2023 Mar 15.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, post-discharge virtual visits transitioned from a novel intervention to standard practice. Our aim was to evaluate participation in and outcomes of virtual post-discharge visits in the early-pandemic timeframe.
Pandemic cohort patients were compared to historical patients. Patient demographics, clinical information, and post-discharge 30-day hospital encounters were compared between groups.
The historical cohort included 563 patients and the pandemic cohort had 823 patients. There was no difference in 30-day hospital encounters between patients who completed a video vs. telephone visit in the pandemic cohort (3.8% vs. 7.6%, p = 0.11). There was a lower 30-day hospital encounter rate in pandemic video and telephone visits compared to similar historical sub-groups.
Expansion of virtual post-discharge visits to include all patients and telephone calls did not negatively impact rates of 30-day post-discharge hospital encounters. Offering telehealth options for post-discharge follow-up does not appear to have negative impact on healthcare utilization.
由于 COVID-19 大流行，出院后的虚拟访视已从一种新的干预措施转变为标准做法。我们的目的是评估大流行早期虚拟出院访视的参与情况和结果。
将大流行队列患者与历史患者进行比较。对两组患者的人口统计学资料、临床信息和出院后 30 天的医院就诊情况进行比较。
历史队列包括 563 例患者，大流行队列包括 823 例患者。在大流行队列中，完成视频访视与电话访视的患者在 30 天内的医院就诊率无差异（3.8%比 7.6%，p=0.11）。与类似的历史亚组相比，大流行期间的视频和电话访视的 30 天内医院就诊率较低。
将虚拟出院访视扩展到所有患者和电话访问并没有降低 30 天内出院后医院就诊率。为出院后随访提供远程医疗选择似乎不会对医疗保健利用产生负面影响。
