Telesurgical Assessment: Using Smartphone Messaging to Efficiently Manage Postoperative Wounds

Area of Science:

• Medical technology
• Digital health
• Surgical care

Background:

• Telemedicine facilitates remote physician-patient interactions, impacting healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
• Smartphone photography enables high-quality remote wound assessment, ideal for postoperative care.
• Postoperative patients often seek care for healing uncertainties, leading to potential overuse of healthcare resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the benefits of telesurgical assessment (TSA) in managing postoperative wound care.
• To evaluate the efficiency and patient satisfaction associated with TSA.

Main Methods:

• Patients with postoperative concerns within two weeks of surgery received a TSA.
• TSA involved a smartphone-based discussion and photographic wound assessment.
• Surgeons determined subsequent treatment based on TSA findings.

Main Results:

• 85% of patients did not require emergent treatment for their concerns.
• 46% of patients were prescribed medications following TSA.
• 39% of patients required no intervention after their telesurgical assessment.

Conclusions:

• Telesurgical assessments effectively alleviate patient concerns and provide resolutions for postoperative wounds.
• TSA demonstrates potential for resource savings and increased patient satisfaction in outpatient settings.
• Integrating telemedicine, specifically TSA, into postoperative wound monitoring offers significant value.