Telemedicine: Does it have a place in surgical oncology practice?

Abstract

Background

Telemedicine has gained traction in surgical subspecialties, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to identify whether telemedicine can be appropriately integrated within surgical oncology practice.

Methods

This retrospective study evaluated patients who received either telemedicine or office follow-up after undergoing surgical oncology operations between 2016 and 2021. The telemedicine group (TG) and office group (OG) received a 15-question survey regarding their satisfaction with their care. Patient outcomes and responses were analyzed utilizing propensity-score matching in 1:1 fashion.

Results

Telemedicine group and OG each had 21 patients. Length of stay, complication frequency, follow-up frequency, and readmissions frequency within 90-days were comparable between groups. Telemedicine group expressed comparable satisfaction with postoperative care relative to OG (95.2% vs. 85.7%, p = 0.61). All telemedicine patients said they would utilize telemedicine again in the future and would recommend its use to others.

Conclusion

Patient satisfaction with postoperative telemedicine follow-up is comparable to those with in-person follow-up.