Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Jul 25, 2020
Date Accepted: Dec 3, 2020
Date Submitted to PubMed: Dec 4, 2020
Using Whatsapp for the Consultation of Covid-19 Suspected Patients in Pandemic Polyclinics; A Retrospective Case Control Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Telemedicine is an umbrella term covering a range of technologies, ranging from digital X-rays to phone calls, and from video conferencing to remote surgery. Telephone, internet-connected devices (phablet, pc), chat platforms, mobile applications (Skype, Facebook messengger, Whatsapp, to name a few) can be exploited for telemedicine applications. Whatsapp and similar applications are widely used to facilitate clinical communication between physicians, too. Moreover, Whatsapp is used between ED pyhsicians and consultant physicians during ED consultations in which medical information is exchanged.
Objective:
This study thus sets out to investigate the effect of Whatsapp video consultation upon patient admission and discharge times in comparison to bedside consultation in the evaluation of potential Covid-19 patients visiting the Covid-19 outpatient clinic during the pandemic period.
Methods:
The subjects who presented to ED Covid-19 outpatient clinic between March 11, 2020 and May 31, 2020 and for whom an infectious diseases (ID) physician was consulted (via Whatsapp or at bedside) were included in the study in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eventually, 54 patients whose consultations were made via Whatsapp 90 patients whose consultations were made bedside included included in our study.
Results:
As far as the discharged subjects’ length of stay in the ED is concerned, this time amounted to 103 (85-147.75) minutes in the Whatsapp group and 196 (141-215) minutes in the bedside group. In this regard, the length of stay of in the ED turned out to be significantly shorter in the Whatsapp group than the other group (P = 0.0001). Considering the in-patients’ length of stay in the ED, this time was found as 116.5 (85.5-145.5) minutes in the Whatsapp group and 132 (102-168) minutes in the bedside group. The statistical analysis on this time difference revealed that the length of stay of in the ED was significantly shorter in the Whatsapp group than the bedside group (P = 0.038).
Conclusions:
Consultation via Whatsapp reduces both contact time with Covid-19 patients (due to the decreased length of stay of the patients in the ED) and the number of medical staff contacting the patient. In addition, the shortened discharge and hospitalization time span also trimmed the length of stay in the ED, with an impact on the reduction of the congestion in the ED. We are also of the opinion that Whatsapp consultation may prove useful in clinical decision making as well as speeding up the process, as the accuracy rate in the clinical decisions taken as a result of Whatsapp and bedside consultation is similar. Clinical Trial: 80576354-050-99/175
Citation
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