title: Videoconferencing for orthopaedic outpatients: one-year follow-up.
abstract: We studied whether consultations via videoconferencing and traditional outpatient clinic visits differ in terms of the implementation of the patient management plan during a one-year follow-up. First-admission and follow-up orthopaedic patients were randomly allocated to an outpatient visit at the surgical department of Oulu University Hospital or to videoconferencing at a health centre in Pyhäjärvi. In a prospective one-year study, there were 145 consecutive orthopaedic patients who met the inclusion criteria: 84 referred for their first visit to a specialist and 61 of them for follow-up. There were 66 males (46%) in the study population. Over half the patients had some form of regenerative arthritis: 15% had hip arthritis, 33% knee arthritis and 4% other arthritis. There were no differences in the implementation of the management plan between the two groups. The study showed that videoconferencing is a valid alternative to outpatient clinic visits for orthopaedic specialist consultations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Kajaanintie 52, 90220 Oulu, Finland. saija.vuolio@pp.fimnet.fi
authors.forename: Saija
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vuolio
authors.forename: Ilkka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Winblad
authors.forename: Arto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohinmaa
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haukipuro
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000379:methods*