Telemedicine for Delivery of Postoperative Care Following Minimally-Invasive Gynecologic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Determine if patient satisfaction is greater after delivering postoperative care via telemedicine following minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial SETTING: University based outpatient clinic. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: Between 18 and 60 years of age scheduled to undergo laparoscopic hysterectomy or laparoscopic excision of endometriosis. INTERVENTIONS: Eligible patients were randomized to receive postoperative care either through a traditional office visit or via telemedicine. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 41 patients were analyzed out of which 25 were allocated to the office group and 16 to the telemedicine group. Groups were homogenous to age (41.4 v 43.3 p.48), BMI (31.9 v 30.6 p=.52), distance in miles from home (12.7 v 12.4 p=.92) and parity (p=.51). PSQ-18 questionnaire was scored and each category was compared between the office and telemedicine groups. When comparing medians (IQR), the general satisfaction and time spent with doctor categories were significantly higher in the telemedicine group (4.0 (4.0, 4.5) v 4.5 (4.5, 5.0) p=.05), (4.0(4.0, 4.5) v 4.5(4.0, 5.0) p=.05). The remainder of the categories analyzed were not different between groups (Technical Quality (4.0 (3.8, 4.5) v 4.5 (3.9, 5.0) p=.13), Interpersonal Manner (4.0 (4.0, 4.5) v 4.5 (4.0, 5.0) p=.34), Communication (4.5 (4.0, 4.5) v 4.5 (4.3, 5.0) p=.21) and Accessibility and Convenience (4.0 (3.5, 4.5) v 4.0 (3.6, 4.5) p=.84)). A chart review was performed, examining the first 30 days after surgery. One (4%) patient in the office group visited the ER following the postoperative visit, and 0 in the telemedicine group (p=.42). Regarding phone calls to the clinic after postoperative visit, 5(20%) patients in the office group incurred in at least one call and 4(25%) did so in the telemedicine group (p=.92). CONCLUSION: Postoperative care via telemedicine after gynecologic surgery results in higher patient satisfaction, and does not appear to increase the risk of complications.