Department of Orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda , Punjab, 151001, India.
Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2024 Jan;34(1):405-413. doi: 10.1007/s00590-023-03673-0. Epub 2023 Aug 11.
Teleconsultation services can be used to overcome the barriers imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic in providing basic orthopaedic rehabilitation services. Aim of the study is to compare the effectiveness of rehabilitation provided via outpatient and teleconsultation in patients with mechanical low backache (LBA) and early osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee joint utilizing Patient-Reported Outcome Measures. The satisfaction level of patients receiving teleconsultation will also be assessed.
This study was a hospital-based prospective observational study. The study's participants were divided into two groups (Outpatient and Teleconsultation, respectively), and each group was further divided into two subgroups of 100 participants each (Knee-pain subgroup 1; LBA subgroup 2). SF-12 questionnaire, visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain, and functional outcome scores (KOOS score for knee pain and the modified Oswestry Disability Index-MODI for LBA) were assessed at initial presentation and 6 months follow-up. Participants' satisfaction for teleconsultation service was assessed at final follow-up by 5 points Likert scale (5, very satisfied; 1, very dissatisfied).
Mean consultation time was significantly longer in the outpatient group (p < 0.001). No statistically significant difference in the VAS score, KOOS score (58.0 ± 7.6 vs. 57.8 ± 9.2; p = 0.893), and MODI Score (24.7 ± 13.3 vs. 27.4 ± 12.4; p = 0.128) between the corresponding subgroups of the two groups at final follow-up. Eighty-seven percentage of the participants were satisfied (Likert score ≥ 4) with the teleconsultation services.
Teleconsultation is equally effective to that as face-to-face outpatient consultation in the rehabilitation of patients with early OA knee and mechanical LBA.
Level 2, Prospective comparative study.
远程会诊服务可用于克服新冠疫情对提供基本骨科康复服务造成的障碍。本研究旨在利用患者报告的结果测量来比较门诊和远程会诊在机械性下腰痛（LBA）和早期膝关节骨关节炎（OA）患者中提供康复的效果。还将评估接受远程咨询的患者的满意度水平。
这是一项基于医院的前瞻性观察研究。研究参与者分为两组（门诊和远程咨询组），每组进一步分为两个 100 名参与者的亚组（膝关节疼痛亚组 1；LBA 亚组 2）。在初始就诊时和 6 个月随访时评估 SF-12 问卷、疼痛视觉模拟量表（VAS）评分和功能结局评分（膝关节疼痛 KOOS 评分和改良 Oswestry 残疾指数-MODI 用于 LBA）。在最后一次随访时，采用 5 分李克特量表（5，非常满意；1，非常不满意）评估患者对远程咨询服务的满意度。
门诊组的平均咨询时间明显更长（p < 0.001）。两组相应亚组在随访结束时 VAS 评分、KOOS 评分（58.0 ± 7.6 对 57.8 ± 9.2；p = 0.893）和 MODI 评分（24.7 ± 13.3 对 27.4 ± 12.4；p = 0.128）无统计学差异。87%的参与者对远程咨询服务表示满意（Likert 评分≥4）。
远程咨询在早期膝关节 OA 和机械性 LBA 患者的康复中与面对面门诊咨询同样有效。
2 级，前瞻性比较研究。
