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. 2023 Mar;18(2):349-354.
doi: 10.1177/15589447211017210. Epub 2021 May 31.

Hand Trauma Virtual Clinics Prove Effective During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dardan Popova  1 , Kieron Young  1 , Dorian Hobday  1 , Ted Welman  1 , Gurjinderpal S Pahal  1
Affiliations

Hand Trauma Virtual Clinics Prove Effective During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dardan Popova et al. Hand (N Y). 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Due to the devastating and far-reaching impact of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, hospital resources have been redirected to protect patients and health care staff, thereby vastly reducing the capacity for outpatient follow-up within a busy Plastic Surgery and Hand Trauma center. Through the use of telephone and video technology, virtual clinics were rapidly introduced to reduce hospital footfall.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed patient experiences in virtual and traditional face-to-face clinics through the month of April 2020, from the second week of the government-imposed lockdown. A 5-point Visit-Specific Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to subsequently collect patients' feedback regarding their appointments.

Results: A total of 107 hand injury-related follow-up appointments were recorded during the 4-week period. Sixty (56.0%) appointments were performed as a virtual consultation, and 47 (43.9%) face-to-face consultations were carried out on site. It was possible to discharge 43.3% from the virtual clinic group and 57.4% from the face-to-face group. We identified no significant difference in patient satisfaction (P = .368, Mann-Whitney U test) between the 2 cohorts.

Conclusion: Virtual clinics appear to be safe and effective for the follow-up of patients with traumatic hand injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic. This approach may prove beneficial in terms of workforce organization, reducing waiting times, and providing an alternative for patients unable to attend physical appointments.

Keywords: COVID-19; hand surgery; telemedicine; trauma; virtual.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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