Utilization of telemedicine in rhinologic practice during COVID-19 pandemic

Mohammad Alshareef; Saad Alsaleh; Hussain Albaharna; Abdulrahman Alghulikah; Mohammad Aloulah; Ahmad Alroqi; Saud Alromaih; Fatma H Alanazy; Surayie Al-Dousary

doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2021.102929

Utilization of telemedicine in rhinologic practice during COVID-19 pandemic

Am J Otolaryngol. 2021 May-Jun;42(3):102929. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2021.102929. Epub 2021 Jan 20.

Authors

Mohammad Alshareef¹, Saad Alsaleh², Hussain Albaharna³, Abdulrahman Alghulikah⁴, Mohammad Aloulah⁴, Ahmad Alroqi⁴, Saud Alromaih⁴, Fatma H Alanazy⁴, Surayie Al-Dousary⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Khamis Mushait General Hospital, Khamis Mushait City, Saudi Arabia; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: alssaad@ksu.edu.sa.
³ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Qatif Central Hospital, Qatif City, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: The only two preventive interventions available for COVID-19 have been social distancing and quarantine. These preventive measures challenge health care providers by causing cancelations of elective in-person outpatient clinic visits in many hospitals, particularly in otolaryngology clinics.

Objectives: To assess the applicability and feasibility of telemedicine in rhinology cases with a study of outcomes to guide rhinologists on indications of in-office visits. Assessment of patient satisfaction with telemedicine in the rhinology clinic was also investigated.

Methods: A retrospective review of electronic charts of all adult patients (>18 years) who were scheduled in the rhinology clinics of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and received a phone call as a part of telemedicine care from April through June 2020. Demographics (including age and gender), diagnosis, plan of treatment, and status of the visit (either new or follow-up) were collected. In addition, we used a special questionnaire to measure the satisfaction rate among patients who received telemedicine services.

Results: A total of 339 patients were included. The mean age was 41 years with 60.2% males. Only 5 cases (1.48%) were asked to attend to the clinic. The vast majority of cases were given a follow-up (n = 311, 91.7%). The most common diagnosis among the follow-up cases was chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (n = 130, 38.3%). The satisfaction telephone survey had a total of 41 respondents out of 80 cases selected randomly. Most respondents (83.3%) were satisfied with telemedicine services.

Conclusion: We conclude that telemedicine proved its effectiveness in the efficient management and screening of rhinology cases during public health emergencies while providing sufficient protection for patients and medical practitioners. Telemedicine as a modality of care during the pandemic faced minor or no opposition given patients' understanding of the importance of social distancing.

Keywords: COVID-19; Otolaryngologists; Pandemic; Quarantine; Retrospective; Rhinology; Satisfaction; Saudi Arabia; Telehealth; Telemedicine.

MeSH terms

Adult
COVID-19 / epidemiology*
Female
Humans
Male
Otolaryngology*
Pandemics
Patient Satisfaction
Retrospective Studies
SARS-CoV-2
Saudi Arabia / epidemiology
Telemedicine / statistics & numerical data*