Telemedicine in Urology by Necessity during the COVID-19 Emergency
Keywords:
telemedicina, urología, COVID-19.Abstract
Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical practice has been forced to evolve rapidly to respond to delays in face-to-face care. It has had to adopt new out of necessity skills and strategies, such as telemedicine.
Objective: Describe the practice and methodology adopted in the tele-consultation of the San Juan de Dios Aljarafe Hospital in Sevilla, Spain.
Methods: Five urologists of our center reviewed the clinical priority of care based on the severity of the disease, patients pending first evaluation and pending review. Patients were classified into three groups: green (delayable), yellow (priority), and red (non-delayable). If because of their clinical condition they were susceptible to evaluation in primary care levels, they were discharged.
Results: A total of 2037 patients were classified; 887 were first visits (PV) and 1150 were revisions (RV). Of the total number, 1015 (49.8%) were discharged, including 391 PV (38.52%). Non-delaying appointments were 11.58%. Priority delaying appointments were 19.87% of RVs and 9.13% of PV. The delayed PV group included 307 PV patients (34.61 %) and 274 RV patients (43.91 %).
Conclusion: Telemedicine can be used as a tool in the prioritization of consultations, with a high percentage of resolution (49.8%) with no face-to-face appointment.
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References
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