JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Recommendations for healthcare digitization as issued with the Riyadh Declaration led to an uptake in telemedicine and teleconsultations to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Evaluations based on clinical data are needed to support stakeholders’ decision-making on the long-term implementation of digital health.

Objective:

This health economic evaluation aims to analyze the suitability of video consultations for the follow-up care of orthopedic and trauma surgery patients from a health provider's perspective and to investigate the financial and personnel impact associated with telemedicine to provide a basis for stakeholders’ decisions.

Methods:

The study was based on data from a randomized controlled trial that evaluated video consultations versus face-to-face consultations. The suitability of telemedicine was assessed by the Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire and the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. In addition, various model calculations regarding the impact of telemedicine on personnel costs and clinic capacities as well as the break-even point of video consultations were conducted.

Results:

77% of all patients agreed that telemedicine provided for their healthcare needs and no significant difference was found in the change of patient utility between groups after three months (mean 0.02 vs. mean 0.07, P=0.347). The use of telemedicine, however, saved 25% in personnel costs and increased the number of treatable patients. 23 video consultations per month were required to recoup the software fees of telemedicine through reduced personnel costs for a senior physician.

Conclusions:

Telemedicine is less time-consuming for physicians compared to face-to-face consultations. Properly implemented, telemedicine can result in cost savings and productivity gains for clinics with no negative impact on patient utility. Clinical Trial: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00023445; https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00023445