The Impact of Telemedicine on Rheumatology Care

Abstract

BackgroundThe pandemic disrupted the care of patients with rheumatic diseases; difficulties in access to care and its psychological impact affected quality of life. Telemedicine as an alternative to traditional face-to-face office visits has the potential to mitigate this impact.ObjectiveTo evaluate patient and provider experience with telemedicine and its effect on care.MethodsWe surveyed patients with rheumatic diseases and their rheumatology providers. The surveys were conducted in 2020 and repeated in 2021. We assessed data on quality of care and health-related quality of life.ResultsHundred patients and 17 providers responded to the survey. Patients reported higher satisfaction with telemedicine in 2021 compared to 2020 (94 vs. 84%), felt more comfortable with (96 vs. 86%), expressed a stronger preference for (22 vs. 16%), and higher intention to use telemedicine in the future (83 vs. 77%); patients thought physicians were able to address their concerns. While providers' satisfaction with telemedicine increased (18–76%), 14/17 providers believed that telemedicine visits were worse than in-person visits. There were no differences in annualized office visits and admissions. Mean EQ-5D score was 0.74, lower than general population (0.87) but equivalent to a subset of patients with SLE (0.74).ConclusionOur data showed a high level of satisfaction with telemedicine. The lower rheumatology provider satisfaction raises concern if telemedicine constitutes an acceptable alternative to in-person care. The stable number of office visits, admissions, and the similar quality of life to pre-pandemic level suggest effective management of rheumatic diseases using telemedicine/in-person hybrid care.

Burden of Other Musculoskeletal Disorders in Latin America and the Caribbean

“…Finally, these programs should be incorporated at all attention levels by using telemedicine strategies 38 . With the COVID-19-pandemic, these tools appear feasible in the LAC region 39 …”

“…38 With the COVID-19-pandemic, these tools appear feasible in the LAC region. 39 In terms of potential impact, prevention of MSK diseases has a great potential for public health benefits, given the burden of these conditions regarding disability and lost productivity. Besides implementing new pharmacological therapies, like biological agents, tertiary prevention, includes interventions focusing on self-management and physical activity requires active patient involvement.…”

The Evolving Role of Telemedicine in the Care of Patients With Connective Tissue Diseases

“…The COVID‐19 pandemic motivated an interest in the use of TM in the care of patients with rheumatic diseases 1,2 . However, research on TM predated the pandemic, not only to increase access to rheumatologic medical care for patients who are unable to visit a rheumatologist in person but also to allow for improved monitoring and management of rheumatologic diseases.…”

“…Among the patients surveyed, 94% of respondents reported satisfaction with TM in 2021 (compared to 84% in 2020; P < 0.05). When asked if they would use TM for future evaluation in 2021, 83% of patients signaled “yes.” 2 However, despite high satisfaction scores among patients, most providers surveyed found TM visits to be in some way “worse” than F2F meetings. On one of the questions, 88% of providers indicated that their dissatisfaction was partially due to “difficult communication” and 82% selected “lack of physical exam” as a cause 2 …”

Impact of telemedicine on disease activity assessment: A case-crossover study nested within a cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

“…Telemedicine is defined as ‘a form of medical information exchange that occurs electronically using different technologies such as videoconferences, phone calls, applications, or web-based chatting’. 9 Several studies have examined the utility of telemedicine in rheumatic diseases, particularly during the pandemic. 10 Most of these studies focused on patients’ perceptions and acceptance of telemedicine.…”