Key result
Preoperative assessment accuracy was similar between clinic telemedicine (85.3%), home telemedicine (91.7%), and in-person evaluation (92.1%; p=0.69) for pediatric urologic patients.
Why the study?
Minimal data exist on the accuracy of preoperative assessment with telemedicine compared to in-person preoperative evaluation.
Does preoperative telemedicine evaluation provide equivalent accuracy and caregiver satisfaction compared to in-person evaluation in pediatric urologic patients?
Cohort (n=96)
No
Does preoperative telemedicine evaluation provide equivalent accuracy and caregiver satisfaction compared to in-person evaluation in pediatric urologic patients?
Absolute Event Rate: 85.3% vs 92.1%
p-value: p=0.69
Preoperative telemedicine evaluation for pediatric urologic surgical planning is as accurate and yields similar caregiver satisfaction as in-person evaluation.
May support telemedicine preoperative assessments in pediatric urology; leaves open need for randomized confirmation.
Introduction Minimal data exist on the accuracy of preoperative assessment with telemedicine compared to in-person preoperative evaluation. The study compared the efficacy of telemedicine in a clinic or home setting with an in-person approach for pediatric patients with urologic surgical problems. Methods Preoperative pediatric urologic telemedicine patients between 5 days and 7 years evaluated at our institution were reviewed between January 2011 and June 2020. Both traditional clinic telemedicine patients (TM) and home telemedicine patients (TMH) were included and compared with an in-person (IP) control cohort. Caregivers were invited to complete a National Research Council (NRC) satisfaction phone survey. Data on demographics, preoperative diagnosis/surgical plan, diagnosis at surgery, and surgical procedure were collected. Results Ninety-six patients with completed surveys were included in the study (34 TM, 24 TMH, and 38 IP). The median age was 10 months TM, 4 months TMH, and 6 months IP. Ethnicity was predominantly non-Hispanic white: 82.4% TM, 91.7% TMH, and 89.5% IP (p = 0.413). Preoperative assessment accuracy was equivalent in the three groups, with 29/34 (85.3%) TM patients, 22/24 (91.7%) TMH patients, and 35/38 (92.1%) IP patients having an accurate surgical plan (p = 0.69). Overall caregiver satisfaction was equivalent (p = 0.231). Conclusion Use of telemedicine for pediatric urological surgical planning may be as effective in accuracy and caregiver satisfaction as in-person evaluation.
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Canon et al. (2022) conducted a cohort in Pediatric urologic surgical problems (n=96). Telemedicine evaluation (clinic or home) vs. In-person evaluation was evaluated on Preoperative assessment accuracy (accurate surgical plan) (p=0.69). Preoperative assessment accuracy was similar between clinic telemedicine (85.3%), home telemedicine (91.7%), and in-person evaluation (92.1%; p=0.69) for pediatric urologic patients.
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