Characteristics and Outcomes of Infectious Diseases Electronic COVID-19 Consultations at a Multisite Academic Health System.

Autor:	Yagnik KJ; Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA., Saad HA; Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA., King HL; Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA., Bedimo RJ; Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA., Lehmann CU; Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA., Medford RJ; Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Cureus [Cureus] 2021 Nov 02; Vol. 13 (11), pp. e19203. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Nov 02 (Print Publication: 2021).
DOI:	10.7759/cureus.19203
Abstrakt:	Objective The need for clinicians to access Infectious Diseases (ID) consultants for clinical decision-making support increased during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Traditional ID consultations with face-to-face (FTF) patient assessments are not always possible or practical during a pandemic and involve added exposure risk and personal protective equipment (PPE) use. Electronic consultations (e-consults) may provide an alternative and improve access to ID specialists during the pandemic. Methods We implemented ID e-consult platforms designed to answer clinical questions related to COVID-19 at three academic clinical institutions in Dallas, Texas. We conducted a retrospective review of all COVID-19 ID e-consults between March 16, 2020 and May 15, 2020 evaluating characteristics and outcomes of e-consults among the clinical sites. Results We completed 198 COVID-19 ID e-consults at participating institutions. The most common e-consult indications were for 63 (32%) repeat testing, 61 (31%) initial testing, 65 (33%) treatment options, and 61 (31%) Infection Prevention (IP). Based on the e-consult recommendation, 53 (27%) of patients were initially tested for COVID-19, 45 (23%) were re-tested, 44 (22%) of patients had PPE precautions initiated, and 37 (19%) had PPE precautions removed. The median time to consult completion was four hours and 8 (4%) consults were converted to standard FTF consults. Conclusion E-consult services can provide safe and timely access to ID specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic, minimizing the risk of infection to the patient and health care workers, while preserving PPE and testing supplies. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. (Copyright © 2021, Yagnik et al.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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