Telephone Fracture Clinic Consultations: A Satisfactory Solution in Lockdown

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated changes in clinical practice, including fracture clinic services in the UK.
• Institutions aimed to reduce patient footfall, leading to the adoption of remote follow-up methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient satisfaction and perceptions of remote fracture clinic consultations.
• To assess the adaptability of patients to telephone-based follow-up care.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study of 299 patients who received telephone consultations for fracture clinics in early 2020.
• A postal survey was used to collect data on patient satisfaction, preferences, and future acceptance of remote consultations.

Main Results:

• A 44% response rate (131 surveys) was achieved.
• 82% of patients reported overall satisfaction with remote care.
• 78% preferred telephone consultations during the pandemic, but only 22% would prefer them in normal times.
• 62% of patients were amenable to future remote fracture clinic appointments.

Conclusions:

• Patients demonstrated adaptability to remote fracture clinic consultations during the pandemic.
• Remote consultations, particularly for follow-up, show potential for integration into future fracture care models.
• The study highlights patient acceptance of hybrid care models combining in-person and remote services.