Exploring the Effects of Telemedicine on Bariatric Surgery Follow-up: a Matched Case Control Study.
Chen D WangThiyake RajaratnamBenjamin StallRaed HawaSanjeev SockalingamPublished in: Obesity surgery (2020)
Telemedicine offers a potential solution for bariatric surgery (BS) aftercare for patients living in rural areas with limited access to healthcare services. This study aimed to compare post-BS appointment adherence, psychosocial, and body mass index (BMI) outcomes in patients that did or did not use telemedicine. In total, 192 (96 telemedicine and 96 non-telemedicine) patients were matched on gender, age, time since surgery, BMI, and travel distance from program. Additional psychosocial and demographic variables including rurality index (RIO) were collected. Telemedicine users had a significantly higher RIO (p < 0.001) than non-telemedicine users. Appointment attendance, BMI, and psychosocial outcomes were not significantly different between the two groups. Therefore, our results suggest that telemedicine could help overcome geographical barriers to provide comparable quality healthcare services to more remote regions.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- body mass index
- end stage renal disease
- bariatric surgery
- newly diagnosed
- ejection fraction
- chronic kidney disease
- mental health
- prognostic factors
- peritoneal dialysis
- primary care
- weight gain
- physical activity
- metabolic syndrome
- social media
- insulin resistance
- affordable care act
- health insurance
- patient reported