Telehealth Proves Effective in Orthopedic Medicine

Following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, researchers confirm the efficacy of telemedical methods in orthopedics, but suggest further research is necessary to expand upon physical examination capabilities with telemedicine.

“Until now, the use of telemedical applications in orthopedics was limited to sparsely populated countries. However, due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, interest in orthopedics in these procedures has increased significantly, “the authors reported.

Researchers conducted a systematic review of randomized control trials (RCTs) specific to telemedical applications determine the extent of scientific evidence for the use of telemedicine orthopedic field.

“Two RCTs were about a patient-to-doctor video consultation and six RCTs were about telerehabilitation after knee and hip arthroplasty (4 × knee arthroplasty, one hip and knee arthroplasty, one hip arthroplasty). For the majority of outcome parameters evaluated, there were no significant differences between the study groups. The cost effectiveness of video consultations depended on the workload (number of patient consultations) as well as the effectiveness of telerehabilitation on the distance of the patient's home to the health care center,” the authors concluded.

—Angelique Platas

Reference

Petersen W, Karpinski K, Backhaus L.. et al. A systematic review about telemedicine in orthopedics. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg (2021).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-021-03788-1