Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1055/a-1648-2146
Desires and attitudes of outpatients and physicians regarding the use of teleurology during the pandemic: a prospective survey study
Wünsche und Einstellungen von ambulanten Patienten und Ärzten zur Nutzung der Teleurologie während der Pandemie: Eine prospektive UmfragestudieAbstract
Objective: It is not known to date how many patients admitted to urology outpatient clinics are willing to use telemedicine. We aimed to investigate knowledge levels and attitudes concerning the utilization of teleurology by patients applying to urology outpatient clinics.
Methods: This prospective multicentre survey study included 334 patients aged 18–65 years who applied to an urology outpatient clinics. The patients were asked questions about their attitudes and expectations regarding teleurology. Diseases were divided into seven subgroups due to the broad spectrum of diagnoses. Physicians’ and patients’ opinions on whether it was possible to manage the current medical condition via teleurology were recorded.
Results: 69.5% of patients stated that they had sufficient technical skills to use teleurology by themselves for medical examination. 55.4% of patients and 78.4% of physicians responded that the existing complaints were suitable for teleurology. Both patients and physicians deemed genital system diseases and urinary tract infections suitable for teleurology (p<0.001, p<0.001 for physicians, and p<0.001, p<0.001 for patients), whereas urine transport, storage and emptying disorders (p=0.003) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (p=0.029) were deemed to be suitable for teleurology only by the physicians.
Conclusion: Our study shows that (i) the majority of our patient population has a telecommunications infrastructure suitable for teleurology, (ii) teleurology has aroused interest among patients, particularly during the pandemic period, and (iii) physicians and patients have high expectations that the problem can be solved with teleurology in suitable patients.
Zusammenfassung
Zielsetzung: Es ist noch nicht bekannt, wie viele Patienten in den urologischen Ambulanzen aufgenommen werden, die auch bereit sind, Telemedizin zu nutzen. Unser Ziel war es, den aktuellen Wissensstand und die Einstellung zur Nutzung der Teleurologie bei Patienten der urologischen Ambulanzen zu untersuchen.
Methoden: An dieser multizentrischen, prospektiven Erhebungsstudie nahmen 334 Patienten im Alter zwischen 18 und 65 Jahren teil, die sich in der urologischen Ambulanz angemeldet hatten. Den Patienten wurden Fragen zu ihren Einstellungen und Erwartungen bezüglich der Teleurologie gestellt. Die Krankheiten wurden aufgrund des breiten Spektrums der Diagnosen in sieben Untergruppen zusammengefasst. Die Meinungen der Ärzte und Patienten darüber, ob die aktuelle Erkrankung durch Teleurologie behandelt werden kann, wurden erfasst.
Ergebnisse: 69,5% der Patienten gaben an, dass sie über ausreichende technische Fähigkeiten verfügen, um die Teleurologie selbst zur medizinischen Untersuchung einzusetzen. 55,4% der Patienten und 78,4% der Ärzte antworteten, dass die bestehenden Beschwerden für eine Teleurologie geeignet seien. Sowohl Patienten als auch Ärzte hielten Erkrankungen des Genitalsystems und Harnwegsinfektionen für die Teleurologie geeignet (p<0,001, p<0,001 für die Ärzte und p<0,001, p<0,001 für die Patienten), während Urintransport-, -speicher- und -entleerungsstörungen (p=,003) und gutartige Prostatahyperplasie (p=0,029) nur von den Ärzten als für die Teleurologie geeignet angesehen wurden.
Schlussfolgerung: Unsere Studie hat gezeigt, dass (i) die Mehrheit unserer Patientenpopulation über eine Telekommunikationsinfrastruktur für die Teleurologie verfügt, (ii) die Teleurologie das Interesse der Patienten geweckt hat, insbesondere während der Pandemiezeit, und (iii) Ärzte und Patienten hohe Erwartungen haben, dass das Problem bei geeigneten Patienten mit Teleurologie gelöst werden kann.
Publication History
Received: 24 June 2021
Accepted after revision: 26 November 2021
Article published online:
16 February 2022
© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany
-
References
- 1 Li Q, Guan X, Wu P. et al. Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia. N Engl J Med 2020; 382: 1199-1207 DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa2001316. (PMID: 31995857)
- 2 Ludwig S, Zarbock A. Coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2: A Brief Overview. Anesth Analg 2020; 131: 93-96 DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000004845. (PMID: 32243297)
- 3 World Health Organization. Naming the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the virus that causes it. 2020. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-coronavirus-disease-covid-2019)and-the-virus-that-causes-it 06.01.2021
- 4 Poston JT, Patel BK, Davis AM. Management of Critically Ill Adults with COVID-19. JAMA 2020; 323: 1839-1841 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.4914. (PMID: 32215647)
- 5 Harky A, Chiu CM, Yau THL. et al. Cancer Patient Care during COVID-19. Cancer Cell 2020; 37: 749-750 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.05.006. (PMID: 32410898)
- 6 Turan Ç, Metin N, Utlu Z. et al. Change of the diagnostic distribution in applicants to dermatology after COVID-19 pandemic: What it whispers to us?. Dermatol Ther 2020; 33: e13804 DOI: 10.1111/dth.13804. (PMID: 32530503)
- 7 van de Haar J, Hoes LR, Coles CE. et al. Caring for patients with cancer in the COVID-19 era. Nat Med 2020; 26: 665-671 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-0874-8. (PMID: 32405058)
- 8 Rapid Reaction Recommendations: EAU COVID-19. Eur Assoc Urol 2020. https://uroweb.org/guideline/covid-19-recommendations/ 09.01.2021
- 9 World Health Organization. Telemedicine: opportunities and developments in member states. 2010. https://www.who.int/goe/publications/goe_telemedicine_2010.pdf 06.01.2021
- 10 Novara G, Checcucci E, Crestani A. et al. Telehealth in Urology: A Systematic Review of the Literature. How Much Can Telemedicine Be Useful During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic?. Eur Urol 2020; 78: 786-811 DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2020.06.025. (PMID: 32616405)
- 11 Iacobucci G. Covid-19: all non-urgent elective surgery is suspended for at least three months in England. BMJ 2020; 368: m1106 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m1106. (PMID: 32188602)
- 12 Naspro R, Da Pozzo LF. Urology in the time of corona. Nat Rev Urol 2020; 17: 251-253 DOI: 10.1038/s41585-020-0312-1. (PMID: 32203310)
- 13 Luciani LG, Mattevi D, Cai T. et al. Teleurology in the Time of Covid-19 Pandemic: Here to Stay?. Urology 2020; 140: 4-6 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2020.04.004. (PMID: 32298686)
- 14 Boehm K, Ziewers S, Brandt MP. et al. Telemedicine Online Visits in Urology During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Potential, Risk Factors, and Patients’ Perspective. Eur Urol 2020; 78: 16-20 DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2020.04.055. (PMID: 32362498)
- 15 Efthymiadis A, Hart EJ, Guy AM. et al. Are telephone consultations the future of the NHS? The outcomes and experiences of an NHS urological service in moving to telemedicine. Futur Healthc J 2021; 8: e15-e20 DOI: 10.7861/fhj.2020-0076. (PMID: 33791468)
- 16 Almannie R, Almuhaideb M, Alzahrani M. et al. „Tele-urology“: Is the COVID-19 pandemic a wake-up call?. Urol Ann 2021; 13: 89-94 DOI: 10.4103/UA.UA_133_20. (PMID: 34194131)
- 17 Chu S, Boxer R, Madison P. et al. Veterans Affairs Telemedicine: Bringing Urologic Care to Remote Clinics. Urology 2015; 86: 255-261 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2015.04.038. (PMID: 26168998)
- 18 Balzarro M, Rubilotta E, Trabacchin N. et al. A Prospective Comparative Study of the Feasibility and Reliability of Telephone Follow-Up in Female Urology: The Patient Home Office Novel Evaluation (PHONE) Study. Urology 2020; 136: 82-87 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2019.10.021. (PMID: 31726182)
- 19 Asklund I, Nyström E, Sjöström M. et al. Mobile app for treatment of stress urinary incontinence: A randomized controlled trial. Neurourol Urodyn 2017; 36: 1369-1376 DOI: 10.1002/nau.23116. (PMID: 27611958)
- 20 Belarmino A, Walsh R, Alshak M. et al. Feasibility of a Mobile Health Application To Monitor Recovery and Patient-reported Outcomes after Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy. Eur Urol Oncol 2019; 02: 425-428 DOI: 10.1016/j.euo.2018.08.016. (PMID: 31277778)
- 21 Safir IJ, Gabale S, David SA. et al. Implementation of a Tele-urology Program for Outpatient Hematuria Referrals: Initial Results and Patient Satisfaction. Urology 2016; 97: 33-39 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2016.04.066. (PMID: 27450940)
- 22 Zholudev V, Safir IJ, Painter MN. et al. Comparative Cost Analysis: Teleurology vs Conventional Face-to-Face Clinics. Urology 2018; 113: 40-44 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2017.07.034. (PMID: 28780298)
- 23 Viers BR, Lightner DJ, Rivera ME. et al. Efficiency, satisfaction, and costs for remote video visits following radical prostatectomy: A randomized controlled trial. Eur Urol 2015; 68: 729-735 DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2015.04.002. (PMID: 25900782)
- 24 Marchell R, Locatis C, Burgess G. et al. Patient and Provider Satisfaction with Teledermatology. Telemed J E Heal 2017; 23: 684-690 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2016.0192.
- 25 Tensen E, van der Heijden JP, Jaspers MWM. et al. Two Decades of Teledermatology: Current Status and Integration in National Healthcare Systems. Curr Dermatol Rep 2016; 5: 96-104 DOI: 10.1007/s13671-016-0136-7. (PMID: 27182461)