Ease in Emergency Hospital Visits Due to Covid-19 Following Implementation of a Telemedicine Service in Ceará, Brazil.
Antonia Célia de Castro AlcântaraHermano Alexandre Rocha LimaCaroline Calisto da SilvaSabrina Gabriele Maia Oliveira RochaDanielle Leite Cunha de QueirozFlavio Lucio Pontes IbiapinaElias Bezerra LeiteFrancisco Airton Castro da RochaPublished in: Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association (2021)
Background: We assessed the impact of implementing a virtual emergency room (VER) in easing emergency room (ER) visits in patients suspected of having COVID-19. Materials and Methods: Retrospective observational cohort study conducted in May 2020 and in March 2021, during the first and second waves in Brazil. Patients could choose to either visiting ER or using the VER (implemented in March 2021). Medical records were revised for demographic and clinical data. The primary outcome was the number of visits. Results: A total of 32,822 visits were evaluated. HR was more than three times less in the VER group with <10% VER clients going to ER. The trend and volume of use of the emergency sector in the periods did not show a statistically significant difference, despite the higher number of cases in the second period. Conclusion: This telemedicine strategy led to a reduction in visits to the ER. Also, our results suggest the safety of this intervention.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- emergency department
- public health
- end stage renal disease
- ejection fraction
- coronavirus disease
- peritoneal dialysis
- prognostic factors
- estrogen receptor
- randomized controlled trial
- primary care
- breast cancer cells
- machine learning
- electronic health record
- patient reported outcomes
- patient reported
- acute care
- hiv infected