Utility of telemedicine in pediatric rheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has provided an alternative to in-person visits for patients practicing social distancing and undergoing quarantine. During this time, there has been a rapid expansion of telemedicine and its implementation in various clinical specialtie...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Pediatric Rheumatology Online Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12969-021-00624-z |
| _version_ | 1818717218859384832 |
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| author | Ashley Perdue Charles Mullett Amna Umer Paul Rosen |
| author_facet | Ashley Perdue Charles Mullett Amna Umer Paul Rosen |
| author_sort | Ashley Perdue |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has provided an alternative to in-person visits for patients practicing social distancing and undergoing quarantine. During this time, there has been a rapid expansion of telemedicine and its implementation in various clinical specialties and settings. In this observational study we aim to examine the utility of telemedicine in a pediatric rheumatology clinic, for 3 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A review of outpatient pediatric rheumatology telemedicine encounters were conducted from April–June 2020. Telemedicine visits (n = 75) were compared to patients seen in practice over the prior year in office-based visits (March 2019–March 2020) (n = 415). Patient characteristics, information on no-show visits, completed visits, new patient or follow-up status, and if new patients had received a visit within 2 weeks of calling to schedule an appointment were analyzed by chart review. An independent sample t-test and Chi Square statistic was used to determine statical significance between the two groups. A two-proportion z-test was used to compare visit metrics. Results The percentage of new patients utilizing telemedicine (60%) was lower and statistically significant compared to the percentage of new patient office visits (84%) the previous year (p < 0.0001). There was no change in no-show rate between groups and patient characteristics were similar. Conclusions This study demonstrates a statistically significant decrease in new patient visits during the pandemic with telemedicine-only appointments compared to in-office visits over the previous year. This suggests a possible hesitation to seek care during this time. However, there was no significant difference among patient characteristics between telemedicine visits during the pandemic and during in-office visits in the previous year. In our experience, patient visits were able to be conducted via telemedicine with a limited physical exam using caregiver’s help during the pandemic. However, further studies will need to ascertain patient satisfaction and preference for telemedicine in the future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T19:31:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e5a4e12b41243dc8e0d3a2dd30acb7b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1546-0096 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T19:31:40Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pediatric Rheumatology Online Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e5a4e12b41243dc8e0d3a2dd30acb7b2022-12-21T21:35:14ZengBMCPediatric Rheumatology Online Journal1546-00962021-09-011911810.1186/s12969-021-00624-zUtility of telemedicine in pediatric rheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemicAshley Perdue0Charles Mullett1Amna Umer2Paul Rosen3Department of Pediatrics, West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University School of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics/Research, West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University School of MedicineAbstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has provided an alternative to in-person visits for patients practicing social distancing and undergoing quarantine. During this time, there has been a rapid expansion of telemedicine and its implementation in various clinical specialties and settings. In this observational study we aim to examine the utility of telemedicine in a pediatric rheumatology clinic, for 3 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A review of outpatient pediatric rheumatology telemedicine encounters were conducted from April–June 2020. Telemedicine visits (n = 75) were compared to patients seen in practice over the prior year in office-based visits (March 2019–March 2020) (n = 415). Patient characteristics, information on no-show visits, completed visits, new patient or follow-up status, and if new patients had received a visit within 2 weeks of calling to schedule an appointment were analyzed by chart review. An independent sample t-test and Chi Square statistic was used to determine statical significance between the two groups. A two-proportion z-test was used to compare visit metrics. Results The percentage of new patients utilizing telemedicine (60%) was lower and statistically significant compared to the percentage of new patient office visits (84%) the previous year (p < 0.0001). There was no change in no-show rate between groups and patient characteristics were similar. Conclusions This study demonstrates a statistically significant decrease in new patient visits during the pandemic with telemedicine-only appointments compared to in-office visits over the previous year. This suggests a possible hesitation to seek care during this time. However, there was no significant difference among patient characteristics between telemedicine visits during the pandemic and during in-office visits in the previous year. In our experience, patient visits were able to be conducted via telemedicine with a limited physical exam using caregiver’s help during the pandemic. However, further studies will need to ascertain patient satisfaction and preference for telemedicine in the future.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12969-021-00624-zPediatricRheumatologyCOVID-19TelemedicineTelehealth |
| spellingShingle | Ashley Perdue Charles Mullett Amna Umer Paul Rosen Utility of telemedicine in pediatric rheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic Pediatric Rheumatology Online Journal Pediatric Rheumatology COVID-19 Telemedicine Telehealth |
| title | Utility of telemedicine in pediatric rheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Utility of telemedicine in pediatric rheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Utility of telemedicine in pediatric rheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Utility of telemedicine in pediatric rheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Utility of telemedicine in pediatric rheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | utility of telemedicine in pediatric rheumatology during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | Pediatric Rheumatology COVID-19 Telemedicine Telehealth |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12969-021-00624-z |
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