title: Telemedicine for postoperative visits at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Results of a needs assessment study.
abstract: The Minneapolis VA Medical Center initiated a telemedicine program in the early 1990s as a way to streamline care and increase convenience for patients and clinicians. In this study, we explored employing telemedicine for postoperative visits for patients in the general surgery clinic. We surveyed 346 veterans about their preferred method of follow-up. In addition, we asked about their need to complete insurance paperwork, use of VA satellite clinics, distance from the VA Medical Center and from the nearest satellite clinic, and need for travel assistance. We found half of the respondents preferred face-to-face follow-up while the other half preferred follow up using some form of telemedicine. These findings suggest there is a demand for remote postop visits using telemedicine and that such visits may have advantages over face-to-face clinic appointments, especially for patients who have to travel long distances. Further studies are ongoing to determine the actual acceptance of remote visits by the patients and surgeons and to determine if there have been delays in recognition of postoperative complications.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stypulkowski
authors.forename: Sarika
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uppaluri
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Waisbren
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D005544:Forecasting; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008910:Minnesota; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000639:trends*; D057240:Patient Preference; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000639:trends*; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000639:trends*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires