Grant J Riew1, Francis Lovecchio2, Dino Samartzis3,4, Philip K Louie5, Niccole Germscheid6, Howard An3,4, Jason Pui Yin Cheung7, Norman Chutkan8, Gary Michael Mallow3,4, Marko H Neva9, Frank M Phillips3,4, Daniel Sciubba10, Mohammad El-Sharkawi11, Marcelo Valacco12, Michael H McCarthy2, Melvin C Makhni1, Sravisht Iyer2. 1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA. 3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. 4. The International Spine Research and Innovation Initiative, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. 5. Neuroscience Institute, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA. 6. Research Department, AO Spine International, Davos, Switzerland. 7. Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. 8. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USA. 9. Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland. 10. Department of Neurosurgery, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. 11. Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Assiut University Medical School, Assiut, Egypt. 12. Department of Orthopaedics, Churruca Hospital de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, anonymous, international survey. OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the rapid adoption of telemedicine in spine surgery. This study sought to determine the extent of adoption and global perspectives on telemedicine in spine surgery. METHODS: All members of AO Spine International were emailed an anonymous survey covering the participant's experiences with and perceptions of telemedicine. Descriptive statistics were used to depict responses. Responses were compared among regions. RESULTS: 485 spine surgeons participated in the survey. Telemedicine usage rose from <10.0% to >39.0% of all visits. A majority of providers (60.5%) performed at least one telemedicine visit. The format of "telemedicine" varied widely by region: European (50.0%) and African (45.2%) surgeons were more likely to use phone calls, whereas North (66.7%) and South American (77.0%) surgeons more commonly used video (P < 0.001). North American providers used telemedicine the most during COVID-19 (>60.0% of all visits). 81.9% of all providers "agreed/strongly agreed" telemedicine was easy to use. Respondents tended to "agree" that imaging review, the initial appointment, and postoperative care could be performed using telemedicine. Almost all (95.4%) surgeons preferred at least one in-person visit prior to the day of surgery. CONCLUSION: Our study noted significant geographical differences in the rate of telemedicine adoption and the platform of telemedicine utilized. The results suggest a significant increase in telemedicine utilization, particularly in North America. Spine surgeons found telemedicine feasible for imaging review, initial visits, and follow-up visits although the vast majority still preferred at least one in-person preoperative visit.
STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, anonymous, international survey. OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the rapid adoption of telemedicine in spine surgery. This study sought to determine the extent of adoption and global perspectives on telemedicine in spine surgery. METHODS: All members of AO Spine International were emailed an anonymous survey covering the participant's experiences with and perceptions of telemedicine. Descriptive statistics were used to depict responses. Responses were compared among regions. RESULTS: 485 spine surgeons participated in the survey. Telemedicine usage rose from <10.0% to >39.0% of all visits. A majority of providers (60.5%) performed at least one telemedicine visit. The format of "telemedicine" varied widely by region: European (50.0%) and African (45.2%) surgeons were more likely to use phone calls, whereas North (66.7%) and South American (77.0%) surgeons more commonly used video (P < 0.001). North American providers used telemedicine the most during COVID-19 (>60.0% of all visits). 81.9% of all providers "agreed/strongly agreed" telemedicine was easy to use. Respondents tended to "agree" that imaging review, the initial appointment, and postoperative care could be performed using telemedicine. Almost all (95.4%) surgeons preferred at least one in-person visit prior to the day of surgery. CONCLUSION: Our study noted significant geographical differences in the rate of telemedicine adoption and the platform of telemedicine utilized. The results suggest a significant increase in telemedicine utilization, particularly in North America. Spine surgeons found telemedicine feasible for imaging review, initial visits, and follow-up visits although the vast majority still preferred at least one in-person preoperative visit.
Authors: Piotr Długosz; Damian Liszka; Anastasiia Bastrakova; Luydmila Yuzva Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-08-15 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Juan N Barajas; Alexander L Hornung; Timothy Kuzel; Gary M Mallow; Grant J Park; Samuel S Rudisill; Philip K Louie; Garrett K Harada; Michael H McCarthy; Niccole Germscheid; Jason Py Cheung; Marko H Neva; Mohammad El-Sharkawi; Marcelo Valacco; Daniel M Sciubba; Norman B Chutkan; Howard S An; Dino Samartzis Journal: Global Spine J Date: 2022-09-29