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Leveraging Collaboration in Pediatric Multidisciplinary Colorectal Care Using a Telehealth Platform
Joseph J Lopez1,2, Wendy Jo Svetanoff1,2, John M Rosen3
1Comprehensive Colorectal Center, 4204Children's Mercy Hospital, University of Missouri Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA.
Insights
Telehealth (TH) effectively supports multidisciplinary care (MDC) for pediatric colorectal surgery patients, offering efficient follow-up. Patient satisfaction significantly increased with TH compared to in-person visits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Digital Health
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Pediatric colorectal conditions necessitate complex, multidisciplinary care (MDC).
- The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional in-person (IP) healthcare delivery.
- Adapting care models is crucial for maintaining patient access and quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the implementation and utilization of telehealth (TH) for pediatric colorectal surgery MDC.
- To compare patient satisfaction with TH versus traditional IP visits.
- To assess the impact of TH on clinic visit efficiency and patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A single-institution telehealth platform for MDC visits was implemented.
- Telehealth visit characteristics were compared to pre-implementation in-person visits over a 6-month period.
- Key metrics included patient volume, visit duration, and patient satisfaction surveys.
Main Results:
- Telehealth constituted 37.7% of visits post-implementation, including 23% of MDC visits.
- Telehealth visits were shorter (median 25 minutes) than in-person visits (median 45 minutes).
- Patient satisfaction increased from 88.6% to 96.8% with telehealth, with no increase in unplanned admissions.
Conclusions:
- The telehealth platform provides an efficient method for complex pediatric multidisciplinary follow-up care.
- High patient satisfaction supports integrating telehealth into routine care for long-term follow-up.
- Telehealth enhances accessibility and quality of care for pediatric surgical patients.
Purpose:
Pediatric colorectal problems often require complex multidisciplinary care (MDC), which has been affected by the SARS-CoV-2-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We describe our utilization and implementation of telehealth (TH) for pediatric colorectal surgery MDC visits and collate patient satisfaction using TH compared to in-person (IP) visits.
Methods:
Implementation of a single-institution MDC TH platform to perform patient visits on February 1, 2020 was studied. Following 6 months of implementation, TH visits' characteristics were compared with IP visits in the 3 months before implementation by patient volume, length of clinic visits, and patient satisfaction survey results.
Results:
Before implementation, 152 (100%) of clinic visits were IP. During the implementation, 87 (37.7%) were TH visits. Seventy-four (49%) were MDC visits, 17 (23%) of these using the TH platform. Each TH visit's median length was 25 minutes (IQR 15-30), while the median length of IP visits was 45 minutes (IQR 30-45). Pre-implementation satisfaction scores were 88.6% positive, while satisfaction scores after implementation were 96.8% positive. None of the patients who utilized the TH platform had an unplanned hospital admission within 24 hours of being seen.
Conclusion:
Our experience demonstrates that the TH platform can provide an efficient avenue for established patients and families to receive highly complex multidisciplinary follow-up care. High levels of patient satisfaction indicated that TH should become part of the routine care plan for patients who require long-term or consistent follow-up.
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