Family satisfaction with telemedicine follow-up after pediatric plastic surgery

Abstract

Objective: One issue faced at institutions that serve a vast area is patients’ ability to travel for perioperative care. Telemedicine is an innovative way of providing care while removing the inconvenience of travel or the hindrance of cost associated with travel. We initiated telemedicine as an option for certain postoperative encounters and assessed patient family satisfaction with this novel approach. Methods: Our practice offers telemedicine visits to patients who have had simple surgical procedures, identified by a fixed list of CPT codes. Visits are scheduled 7 to 14 days after surgery. Families completed a satisfaction survey after their encounter. Results: A pilot program was initiated from January 2019 to March 2020 using this method of postoperative follow-up. The initial response from families (N = 60) was extremely positive. Conclusion: We anticipate the option for telemedicine visits will make postoperative follow-ups more amendable to families, increase adherence rates, and increase access to care.