Digitization in gynecology and obstetrics in times of COVID-19: Results of a national survey
Introduction: In the COVID-19 pandemic, many consultations had to be cancelled, postponed, or converted to a virtual format. The use of telemedicine in the management of Women's Health Care could support doctors (tele-gynecology). This study analyses the use and perception of telemedicine appli...
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| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
| Publicado: |
Elsevier
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/36074a9e29d44391b7a0d5dcdfc042d4 |
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| Sumario: | Introduction: In the COVID-19 pandemic, many consultations had to be cancelled, postponed, or converted to a virtual format. The use of telemedicine in the management of Women's Health Care could support doctors (tele-gynecology). This study analyses the use and perception of telemedicine applications among gynecologists in Germany. Materials and methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was based on a survey of gynecologists in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and regression analyses were performed to show correlations. Results: The gynecologists expect telemedicine to be used in gynecology and obstetrics. 76.4% (365/478) of the respondents rated their knowledge of telemedicine as insufficient. The majority of respondents (437/478, 91.6%) said they did not currently use telemedicine, although 67.3% (321/478) would like to do so. Obstacles to the introduction of telemedicine include the purchase of technical equipment (325/478, 68.1%), administration (305/478, 64.0%) and poor reimbursement (233/478, 48.9%). Gynecologists surveyed would prefer telemedicine to communicate directly with other doctors (388/478, 81.2%) rather than to communicate with patients (228/478, 47.8%). In the treatment phases, 73.2% (349/478) of the respondents would use telemedicine during follow-up. Half of the respondents would choose tele counseling as a specific approach to improving care (246/478, 51.5%). Conclusion: Telemedicine in gynecology finds little use but high acceptance. The absence of a structured framework is an obstacle to effective implementation. Training courses should be introduced to improve the limited knowledge in the use of telemedicine. More research in tele-gynecology is needed. These include large-scale randomized controlled trials, economic analyses and the exploration of user preferences. |
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