Abstract
IntroductionDue to the Covid-19 pandemic, making more use of remote medical solutions has been advertised. The purpose of this study was to assess the willingness of orthopedic trauma patients to conduct an online video consultation (OVC) during the coronavirus pandemic compared to before.MethodsA survey amongst orthopedic and trauma outpatients from three European trauma centers was conducted via paper-based questionnaires, composed of participants’ demographics and five open and closed questions between June and November 2019 and between April and July 2020 during Covid-19. The main outcome was the difference between the cohorts regarding the willingness to use an OVC, reasons for and against usage as well as advantages and disadvantages. Sub-analysis was performed for gender, participants’ occupation and three age groups (≤ 30 years; 31–55 years; > 55 years).Results1400 participants (780 preCovid-19 and 620 Covid-19) were included. There was no difference in willingness to conduct an OVC between the cohorts (57.6% versus 63.9%; p = 0.053). The highest disposition towards an OVC in both cohorts was seen in patients below 30 years of age, followed by 31–55 years and over 55 years. Women were significantly more likely in the Covid-19-group than in the preCovid-19-group to conduct an OVC (p = 0.032). Use of the OVC for “personal questions to the physician” was more often stated in the Covid-19-cohort (p = 0.007). “No danger of an infection” (p = 0.001) and “availability from anywhere” (p = 0.032) as advantages of an OVC were more often stated in the Covid-19-cohort. “No direct contact with the doctor” (p = 0.001) and “relationship to the doctor could change” (p = 0.024) as disadvantages of the OVC were less often stated in the Covid-19-cohort.ConclusionThe majority of the assessed outpatients would use an OVC. Fear of infections have increased, and direct physical contact is less important since the Covid-19 pandemic, but have not increased the disposition for an OVC significantly.
Highlights
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, making more use of remote medical solutions has been advertised
While telehealth can be considered as a broad field of remote service, especially online video consultations (OVC) can replace physical visits for initial evaluation, pre-surgical prep as well as post-surgical follow-up and has been shown to satisfy patients as well as practitioners adequately [6, 9,10,11]
It has been shown, that especially in orthopedic trauma, there is no difference in terms of satisfaction between in person and online consultation amongst patients and physicians and that certain video-tools and applications can be effective as a face-to-face physical examination during the Covid-19 pandemic [13, 14]
Summary
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, making more use of remote medical solutions has been advertised. Video consultations can be utilized for initial assessment of minor injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation and follow-up, as well as pre-surgical assessment [4, 12] It has been shown, that especially in orthopedic trauma, there is no difference in terms of satisfaction between in person and online consultation amongst patients and physicians and that certain video-tools and applications can be effective as a face-to-face physical examination during the Covid-19 pandemic [13, 14]. It has been shown, that during the corona crisis, telemedicine can be implemented into clinical everyday-work-life rapidly and to a high percentage of satisfaction amongst orthopedic trauma patients and surgeons [15]. The aim of this study was to assess the willingness of orthopedic and trauma patients to perform a hypothetical remote video consultation in times of the Covid-19 pandemic compared to before and to identify factors which might have changed this attitude due to the pandemic
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