A prospective, multisite study analyzing the percentage of urological cases that can be completely managed by telemedicine

Authors

  • Bruno Turcotte Laval University
  • Sophie Paquet
  • Anne-Sophie Blais
  • Annie-Claude Blouin
  • Stéphane Bolduc
  • Michel Bureau
  • Yves Caumartin
  • Jonathan Cloutier
  • Marie-Pier Deschênes-Rompré
  • Thierry Dujardin
  • Yves Fradet
  • Louis Lacombe
  • Katherine Moore
  • Fannie Morin
  • Geneviève Nadeau
  • David Simonyan
  • Frédéric Soucy
  • Rabi Tiguert
  • Paul Toren
  • Michele Lodde
  • Frédéric Pouliot

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.6862

Keywords:

COVID-19, Pandemic, Telemedecine, Urology

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of telemedicine due to confinement measures. However, the percentage of outpatient urological cases that could be managed completely by telemedicine outside of the COVID-19 pandemic remains to be determined. We conducted a prospective, multisite study involving all urologists working in the region of Quebec City.

Methods: During the first four weeks of the regional confinement, 18 pediatric and adult urologists were asked to determine, after each telemedicine appointment, if it translated into a complete (CCM), incomplete (ICM), or suboptimal case management (SCM, adequate only in the context of the pandemic).

Results: A total of 1679 appointments representing all urological areas were registered. Overall, 67.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 65.3; 69.8), 27.1% (25.0; 29.3), and 4.3% (3.5; 5.4) were reported as CCM, SCM, and ICM, respectively. The CCM ratio varied according to the reason for consultation, with cancer suspicion (52.9% [42.9; 62.8]) and pediatric reasons (38.0% [30.0; 46.6]) showing the lowest CCM percentages. CCM percentages also varied significantly based on the setting where it was performed, ranging from 61.1% (private clinic) to 86.8% (endourology and general hospital).

Conclusions: We show that two-thirds of all urological outpatient cases could be completely managed by telemedicine outside of the pandemic. After the pandemic, it will be important to incorporate telemedicine as an alternative for a patient’s first or followup visit, especially those with geographical, pathological, and socioeconomic considerations.

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Author Biography

Bruno Turcotte, Laval University

PGY-1 urology

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Published

2020-10-02

How to Cite

Turcotte, B., Paquet, S., Blais, A.-S., Blouin, A.-C., Bolduc, S., Bureau, M., Caumartin, Y., Cloutier, J., Deschênes-Rompré, M.-P., Dujardin, T., Fradet, Y., Lacombe, L., Moore, K., Morin, F., Nadeau, G., Simonyan, D., Soucy, F., Tiguert, R., Toren, P., Lodde, M., & Pouliot, F. (2020). A prospective, multisite study analyzing the percentage of urological cases that can be completely managed by telemedicine. Canadian Urological Association Journal, 14(10), 319–21. https://doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.6862

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 10 (2020): CUAJ October

Section

Research Letter

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