308 A Qualitative Study Evaluating the Uses, Benefits and Barriers of Tele-Consultations in The Pre-Operative Pathway for Elective Orthopaedic Surgery at A Major London Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Digital healthcare technology is becoming a prodigious tool in healthcare management, supporting efforts for effective demand management and personalised, user-centred care. One example is tele-consultations, clinical consultations conducted remotely using technology such as telephones or videos. However, there is slow adoption of such technology and lack of literature supporting its use, particularly within the pre-operative surgical pathway, where communication, patient education and planning is vital to post-surgical outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the uses, benefits and barriers of tele-consultations in the pre-operative pathway for elective hip and knee arthroplasty, at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, from the perspective of key clinical stakeholders. Method 16 Semi Structured Interviews were conducted with Healthcare professionals (HCPs) along the preoperative pathway before conducting a thematic analysis. Ethical approval was received from Imperial College Research Ethics Committee on 05/02/2019. Results HCPs suggested use-cases for tele-consultation use in pre-assessment consultations with lower risk patients, information delivery, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy pre-assessment. Benefits cited were reduced overall costs and time, increased workflow efficiency with barriers noted as accessibility challenges, lack of holistic examination of patient and digital illiteracy. Conclusions Future studies should be conducted in other NHS trusts to identify greater uses within the entire surgical pathway.