Implementing telemedicine in urogynecology: A feasibility study.

Autor: D'Almeida Lucas Macharet DV; Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil., Mendes LN; Division of Urology, Hospital das Clínicas of Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil., Pereira GMV; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil., de Castro Monteiro MV; Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil. marilene.vale@gmail.com.; Telehealth Center, University Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. marilene.vale@gmail.com.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: International urogynecology journal [Int Urogynecol J] 2023 Jul; Vol. 34 (7), pp. 1487-1493. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Nov 04.
DOI: 10.1007/s00192-022-05392-2
Abstrakt: Introduction and Hypothesis: Telemedicine has been recommended for the management of urogynecological conditions during the coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of telemedicine for urogynecology at a Brazilian public hospital.
Methods: A descriptive observational study was performed at a urogynecology outpatient clinic. The primary outcome was the desire to continue with telemedicine. Secondary outcomes were appointment resolvability, technical aspects of the appointment, and patient satisfaction. The participants had in-person appointments that were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected data on sociodemographic characteristics and clinical and technical aspects of the appointments. The participants responded to satisfaction questionnaires 7-15 days post-procedure. The categorical variables were evaluated based on absolute and relative frequency. The continuous variables were described as the mean and standard deviation. A chi-square test was performed to determine the association between variables.
Results: In total, 225 patients had appointments canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, of which 171 were eligible for the study. Telemedicine appointments were agreed upon by 48% of the participants and 85.5% responded to the satisfaction survey. We found that 57.7% of the participants desired to continue with telemedicine. The appointment resolvability rate was 76.1%, 63.4% of the appointments met the technical criteria, and the satisfaction rate was 93%. The only variable associated with the desire to continue telemedicine was overall patient satisfaction (p=0.02).
Conclusions: Telemedicine in urogynecology is feasible and can be implemented in the studied population. However, actions are essential to adequately support patient preference and improve the acceptance of telemedicine.
(© 2022. The International Urogynecological Association.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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