Video Consultation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single Center's Experience with Lung Transplant Recipients

Area of Science:

• Medicine
• Pulmonology
• Transplantation

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted healthcare, impacting routine care for chronic conditions like lung transplants.
• Nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 posed a risk, necessitating alternative care delivery methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and patient satisfaction of video consultations (VCs) as a substitute for on-site visits (OSVs) in lung transplant recipients during the pandemic.
• To assess the impact of VCs on reducing SARS-CoV-2 exposure risk for vulnerable patient populations.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis compared 75 VCs with 75 OSVs over a 6-week period in a German lung transplant center.
• VCs incorporated structured questionnaires and vital sign documentation.
• Physician-patient contacts were analyzed, with a focus on the proportion of VCs and their clinical outcomes.

Main Results:

• VCs constituted 77% of physician-patient contacts during the study period.
• Overall consultations decreased by 47% compared to the previous year, with VCs driving this reduction.
• VCs led to concrete clinical decisions in 62% of cases, including one critical admission for respiratory failure detected remotely.
• Patient satisfaction with VCs was high.

Conclusions:

• Implementation of VCs successfully reduced the need for OSVs, thereby lowering SARS-CoV-2 exposure risk for lung transplant recipients.
• Telemedicine, specifically VCs, offers a viable solution for maintaining specialist care access for chronic illness management during health crises.
• VCs can be adopted broadly to ensure continuity of care for diverse chronic conditions while mitigating infection risks.