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Enhancing the utility of virtual surgical pre-assessment
Chulananda Goonasekera1, Nicola Gammon2, Phil Found1
1Consultant Anaesthetist, Department of Anaesthetics, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London.
British Journal of Nursing (Mark Allen Publishing)
|October 4, 2021
Summary
Virtual pre-assessment via telephone or video enhanced surgical services during COVID-19. This study shares experiences and recommendations for improving this remote patient assessment method.
Area of Science:
- Medical Services
- Surgical Care
- Telehealth
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid adaptation of healthcare delivery.
- Virtual pre-assessment was implemented to sustain elective and semi-urgent surgical services.
- This transition occurred with minimal training and established protocols.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document staff experiences with virtual pre-assessment in a tertiary center.
- To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of remote surgical pre-assessment.
- To provide recommendations for optimizing virtual pre-assessment services.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative review of staff experiences.
- Analysis of pros and cons of virtual pre-assessment implementation.
- Focus on telephone and video pre-assessment methods.
Main Results:
- Virtual pre-assessment was successfully implemented to maintain surgical services.
- Key challenges included managing the service remotely with limited training.
- Staff experiences provided insights into the practicalities of telehealth in surgery.
Conclusions:
- Virtual pre-assessment offers a viable method for surgical patient evaluation.
- Recommendations are proposed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of future virtual pre-assessment.
- Adapting telehealth services requires ongoing evaluation and refinement.
