Response to the Comment on “Telemedicine for Surgical Consultations—Pandemic Response or Here to Stay? A Report of Public Perceptions”

Sorensen, Meredith J.; Wong, Sandra L.

doi:10.1097/sla.0000000000004510

Cited by 5 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 10 publications

(16 reference statements)

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“…Although the patient’s perspective on telehealth has been described within the context of this pandemic, here we offer the provider perspective. 12 Understanding opinions on telehealth in the current environment is vital to improving telehealth programs. The pitfalls and barriers to effective implementation of telehealth that we have described from the provider perspective can improve existing telehealth programs and streamline their adoption.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As COVID-19 emerged, both providers and patients, regardless of their prior training or comfort with telehealth, have been forced to provide or receive care remotely whenever possible. Sorensen et al 12 recently conducted a public survey to understand current perceptions on virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors identified a high degree of public satisfaction with telehealth visits, but noted that the current elevated preference for virtual care would decrease once social-distancing guidelines loosen.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The authors identified a high degree of public satisfaction with telehealth visits, but noted that the current elevated preference for virtual care would decrease once social-distancing guidelines loosen. 12 The ongoing pandemic also offers a unique opportunity to further explore provider perceptions regarding telehealth given that many providers have had few other options to care for surgical patients. Understanding provider perceptions on telehealth in conjunction with patient perceptions will highlight opportunities for improvement and allow for targeted interventions to improve surgical telehealth care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Surgery Provider Perceptions on Telehealth Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Room for Improvement

Kemp

Liesman

Williams

et al. 2021

Journal of Surgical Research

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Background COVID-19 has mandated rapid adoption of telehealth for surgical care. However, many surgical providers may be unfamiliar with telehealth. This study evaluates the perspectives of surgical providers practicing telehealth care during COVID-19 to help identify targets for surgical telehealth optimization. Materials and Methods At a single tertiary care center with telehealth capabilities, all department of surgery providers (attending surgeons, residents, fellows, and advanced practice providers) were emailed a voluntary survey focused on telehealth during the pandemic. Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U analyses were performed as appropriate on responses. Text responses were thematically coded to identify key concepts. Results The completion rate was 41.3% (145/351). Providers reported increased telehealth usage relative to the pandemic (p<0.001). Of respondents, 80% (116/145) had no formal telehealth training. Providers estimated that new patient video visits required less time than traditional visits (p=0.001). Satisfaction was high for several aspects of video visits. Comparatively lower satisfaction scores were reported for the ability to perform physical exams (sensitive and non-sensitive) and to break bad news. The largest barriers to effective video visits were limited physical exams (55.6%; 45/81) and lack of provider or patient internet access/equipment/connection (34.6%; 28/81). Other barriers included ineffective communication and difficulty with fostering rapport. Concerns regarding video-to-telephone visit conversion were loss of physical exam/verbal cues (34.3%; 24/70), less personal interactions (18.6%; 13/70), and reduced efficiency (18.6%; 13/70). Conclusions Telehealth remains a new experience for surgical providers despite its expansion. Optimization strategies should target technology barriers and include specialized virtual exam and communication training.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Surgery Provider Perceptions on Telehealth Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Room for Improvement

Kemp

Liesman

Williams

et al. 2021

Journal of Surgical Research

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“…Although interchangeably used with telemedicine, telehealth encompasses a wider range of digital healthcare activities such as research and continuing education for healthcare professionals, according to the World Health Organisation 2 . During the COVID‐19 outbreak in 2020, there was an exponential growth in the demand of teleconsultation services worldwide to avoid physical contact between healthcare professionals and patients 3,4 5,6 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 During the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, there was an exponential growth in the demand of teleconsultation services worldwide to avoid physical contact between healthcare professionals and patients. 3,4 As telehealth develops rapidly, the evolving ethical and medico-legal challenges arising from this alternative mode of doctorpatient interaction cannot be underestimated. 5,6 Notwithstanding there is hitherto no standalone statutory legislation in Hong Kong governing the conduct and practice of telehealth, the Medical Council of Hong Kong has published in 2019 the "Ethical Guidelines on Practice of Telemedicine" (MCHK Guidelines), 7 which provides board ethical principles to guide registered medical practitioners in Hong Kong.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telehealth practice in surgery: Ethical and medico‐legal considerations

Lee¹,

Tong

Lai

2021

Surgical Practice

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There was rapid growth of telehealth practice during the COVID‐19 outbreak in 2020. In surgery, there were beneficial effects in terms of saving time and avoiding physical contact between healthcare professionals and patients when using telehealth in the delivery of perioperative care. As telehealth is gaining momentum, the evolving ethical and medico‐legal challenges arising from this alternative mode of doctor–patient interaction cannot be underestimated. With reference to the “Ethical Guidelines on Practice of Telemedicine” issued by the Medical Council of Hong Kong and some published court and disciplinary cases from other common law jurisdictions, this article discusses relevant ethical and medico‐legal issues in telehealth practice with emphasis on the following areas: duty of care; communication and contingency; patient‐centred care and informed consent; limitations and standard of care; keeping medical records, privacy, and confidentiality; and cross‐territory practice. Whilst existing ethical and legal obligations of practicing medicine are not changed when telehealth is used as opposed to in‐person care, telehealth practitioners are advised to familiarize themselves with the ethical guidelines, to keep abreast of the medico‐legal developments in this area, and to observe the licensure requirements and regulatory regimes of both the jurisdiction where they practice and where their patients are located.

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Endocrine Surgery Patients' and Providers' Perceptions of Telemedicine in the COVID Era

Zheng

Rosen

Bader

et al. 2022

Journal of Surgical Research

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Background Telemedicine has become a key modality for health care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for endocrine surgery . Little data exists on patients’ and referring endocrinologists’ perspectives of its use. The study aimed to assess and compare endocrine surgery patients’ attitudes about telemedicine to that of referring endocrinologists. Method Patients from a regional endocrine surgery practice and referring endocrinologists were sent surveys about their perspectives on telemedicine use. Results Fifty two patients responded: average age was 58.3 years; 78% were female; 33% were Black. Sixteen referring endocrinologists responded: average age was 52.4 years; 62.5% were female. Nearly all patients (92%) and providers (100%) would try telemedicine or use it again. Providers were more likely than patients to use telemedicine because of COVID-19 (100% versus 70.6%, P = 0.03). Patients were more concerned about the lack of personal connection with telemedicine than providers (60.8% versus 25.0%, P = 0.02). Endocrinologists were more interested in using telemedicine to review abnormal results (81.3% versus 35.3%, P <0.01), and more patients were specifically disinterested in reviewing abnormal results via telemedicine (54.9% versus 6.3%, P = 0.04). Patients were more interested in its use for postoperative visits (47.1% versus 0%, P <0.01). More endocrinologists were specifically disinclined to conduct new consultations with telemedicine (87.5% versus 58.8%, P <0.01). Conclusion Telemedicine is a mutually acceptable method for patients and their referring providers for endocrine surgery delivery, although in-person visits continue to have their place. Telemedicine use may continue to expand after the pandemic as an important point of access for endocrine surgery.

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Response to the Comment on “Telemedicine for Surgical Consultations—Pandemic Response or Here to Stay? A Report of Public Perceptions”

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

Surgery Provider Perceptions on Telehealth Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Room for Improvement

Surgery Provider Perceptions on Telehealth Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Room for Improvement

Telehealth practice in surgery: Ethical and medico‐legal considerations

Endocrine Surgery Patients' and Providers' Perceptions of Telemedicine in the COVID Era

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