Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jul 22, 2025
Date Accepted: Dec 17, 2025
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Telemedicine solutions for pediatric surgical diseases in a metropolis: an acceptability study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Digitalization has revolutionized healthcare, offering innovations like telemedical applications and remote consultations. While the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic accelerated telemedicine adoption, challenges persist in pediatric health care. Studies highlight telemedicine's economic benefits and advantages in rural areas; yet its demand in urban areas remains unclear.
Objective:
Creating an overview of possible application of telemedicine in pediatric surgery in the context of a large city.
Methods:
A 15-item survey was administered to families (n=100) of pediatric surgical patients between May and November 2023. The survey included questions on sociodemographic factors, as well as previous experience with telemedicine and caregivers' preferences regarding telemedical treatment. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test.
Results:
Our study revealed that 90% of the interviewed families were interested in telemedicine as integrative health care solutions for their children. Only 15% stated previous experience. Interest for a primary telemedical consultation was expressed by 53% of the participants with no significant differences across different sociodemographic factors.
Conclusions:
The study highlights strong interest in telemedicine for pediatric surgery in an urban area. Nevertheless, a direct contact with the physician remains key. Factors like proximity, caregiver employment, and family size showed no impact on preferences. Telemedicine implementation in this field requires further research on compliance, technical and legal issues.
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Copyright
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