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. 2022 Jun;28(5):373-379.
doi: 10.1177/1357633X211041011. Epub 2021 Sep 20.

Telemedicine use in orthopaedics: Experience during the COVID-19 pandemic

Brian Z Chin  1 , Nazrul Nashi  1 , Shuxun Lin  1 , Kevin Yik  1 , Gamaliel Tan  1 , Fareed Hy Kagda  1
Affiliations

Telemedicine use in orthopaedics: Experience during the COVID-19 pandemic

Brian Z Chin et al. J Telemed Telecare. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: With a recent resurgence of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases globally, an increasing number of healthcare systems are adopting telemedicine as an alternative method of healthcare delivery in a bid to decrease disease transmission. Continued care of orthopaedic patients in the outpatient setting during the coronavirus disease of 2019 era can prove challenging without a systematic workflow, adequate logistics, and careful patient selection for teleconsultation. The aim of this paper is to describe our single-centre experience with the application of telemedicine in our orthopaedic practice, and its effectiveness in maintaining outpatient follow-up of orthopaedic patients.

Methodology: We describe our centre's telemedicine model of care for orthopaedic patients on the outpatient follow-up - which includes workforce assembly, population health and target patients, logistics and communications, and overall workflow - with roles and responsibilities of involved people portrayed in detail.

Results: Feedback from both patients and orthopaedic surgeons reflected high satisfaction rates with care provided, noting minimal communication and clinical barriers compared to face-to-face consultations. Whilst not without limitations, our protocol allowed for rapid adoption of telemedicine in line with a national-wide initiative to digitize healthcare.

Discussion: The implementation of teleconsultation services at our orthopaedic centre has provided an effective method of healthcare delivery while enforcing social distancing measures - which proves vital in combating the spread of COVID-19 and ushering in a new normal.

Keywords: COVID-19; Telemedicine; orthopaedics; protocol; telehealth; workflow.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Orthopaedic surgery teleconsultation workflow.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Reasons for rejection of telemedicine consultation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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