Outcomes From a Regional Synchronous Tele-Allergy Service

Area of Science:

• Allergy and Immunology
• Digital Health
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Telemedicine frameworks exist, but allergy-specific outcomes are often limited.
• Synchronous telemedicine in allergy care needs further evaluation for its effectiveness and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the proportion of new and follow-up allergy appointments conducted via synchronous telemedicine that necessitate an in-person visit.
• To evaluate patient satisfaction and cost-effectiveness of tele-allergy services.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of synchronous tele-allergy appointments in a hospital-based allergy clinic.
• Analysis of 423 visits from 360 unique patients between January 2016 and December 2017.

Main Results:

• Most tele-allergy visits (new and follow-up) did not require an in-person recommendation (23.4% new, 9.5% follow-up).
• New tele-allergy visits were more likely to involve medication prescriptions and laboratory orders compared to follow-up visits.
• Patients reported high satisfaction (98.8%) and saved an average of $485, 438 miles, and 2.3 work/school days per visit.

Conclusions:

• Synchronous tele-allergy is effective for managing a majority of allergy consultations, offering substantial patient benefits.
• Allergists should integrate synchronous tele-allergy with trained patient presenters into clinical practice to improve access and efficiency.