Remote treatment of pectus carinatum (Telepectus) during the COVID-19 pandemic
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Read the article on jpedsurg.org ↗Article · Nov 2021 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
Telemedicine proved feasible and effective for managing pectus carinatum patients using dynamic compression bracing during COVID-19, with consultation frequency matching pre-pandemic in-person care. Treatment adherence actually improved with remote monitoring, showing significantly fewer dropouts compared to traditional care, with high patient satisfaction across all socioeconomic groups.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Background / Purpose
To report telemedicine's feasibility and satisfaction rates for treating patients with pectus carinatum using a Dynamic Compressor System. We analyzed treatment adherence in comparison with the previous, non-pandemic year.
Materials and methods
Retrospective analysis including patients with pectus carinatum under treatment with a Dynamic Compressor System using telemedicine at the chest wall centers from two hospitals, private and public, between April and July 2020. A free video conference platform for teleconsultations was employed. We evaluated the incidence of pectus cases with telemedicine, the number of Dynamic Compressor System prescriptions, the number of patients in the correction phase, and the number who ended treatment. To assess adherence, we compared our cohort with an in-person cohort during the same time frame of the previous, non-pandemic year. In addition, we performed a patient satisfaction survey comprising questions related to socioeconomic status, the likeability of telemedicine, simplicity of modification of the system, and desire to continue with telepectus after the pandemic.
Results
One hundred and thirty-six telepectus consultations were performed in 76 patients. During this time frame, 15 patients started using the Dynamic Compressor System. Compared to the previous, non-pandemic year, the number of consultations per patient was similar (2019: 1.92±1.0 vs. 2020: 1.79±0.8, p=0.32), and there was a significant reduction in the number of dropouts with the use of telemedicine (9% vs. 1%, p=0.025). Fifty-nine patients answered the satisfaction survey. All of them solved their doubts through telemedicine. Overall, 95% found telemedicine comfortable. Of note, those with a lower income evidenced the highest intention in continuing with telemedicine.
Conclusions
We demonstrated the feasibility of remote care of patients with pectus carinatum using a Dynamic Compressor System with a similar frequency of consultations compared to in-person medical care. Telepectus patients revealed a high rate of satisfaction irrespective of their socioeconomic status.