Telemedicine for clinical management of diabetes - a process analysis of video consultations.
We analysed 56 video consultations provided in a 5-month period by two endocrinologists from the tele-endocrinology clinic of a tertiary teaching hospital in Brisbane. The patients were suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and 41% of them had at least one diabetic complication. Their mean age was 51 years and 45% were female. The consultations were provided to ten cities located 210-1800 km from Brisbane. A questionnaire was developed for analysing the video visits. It comprised 26 questions, arranged in six sections: (1) Patient characteristics, (2) Reason for referral, (3) Procedures and findings, (4) Recommendations, (5) Telehealth logistics, (6) Consultant's opinion. In 66% of consultations a nurse accompanied the patient. The specialist requested the nurse to perform a physical examination in 18% of these cases. No change in medications was made in 36% of the consultations. The most frequent recommendations were requesting laboratory tests (75%), insulin dose adjustments (39%) and referrals to an allied health professional (13%). Out of 56 consultations, the specialists indicated the need to perform a physical examination for 12 patients that was not possible remotely. However, they requested an in-person (face-to-face) visit for three patients. Nevertheless they believed that in 34% of the cases they could have made a better decision if the consultation had been in-person. Video consultation can substitute for a large proportion of in-person specialist consultations for people with diabetes who are referred to endocrinology specialists.
Centre for Online Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Farhad
F
Fatehi
Leonard C
LC
Gray
Anthony W
AW
Russell
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000628:therapy*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014741:Video Recording; D055815:Young Adult